[act-ma] URGENT! Email blitz for HU workers under attack -- pls. help!

[Geoff Carens]

Dear Everyone,

Solidarity is urgently needed for two union members at Harvard who are under
the gun right now! Please take a moment & send a quick email protest.

Randy Fenstermacher works as a library guard in his union's lowest salary
grade. Despite 20 years' experience at Harvard, Randy only gets three shifts
a week, and is homeless. In violation of the union's contract, management
assigns Randy even fewer shifts when the library is open shorter hours. A
former union rep, Randy is 64. Management has given him two unfair warnings
and is now moving to fire him. Randy was written up for ridiculous reasons,
among them alerting a student about some lost belongings!

Marvin Byrd is another part-time worker in his union's lowest pay grade. At
61, Marvin has worked at Harvard since 1995. Marvin has diabetic foot
disease, has endured amputations and walks with braces. He is also perfectly
capable of doing his job in one of Harvard's mail rooms. After a recent,
approved short-term disability leave, Marvin was told his hours would be
cut. All his co-workers kept their regular schedules. Marvin was directed to
assent to working diminished hours, and even threatened that he would be
laid off if he did not agree!  He is now losing income he very much needs,
and management won't even meet to discuss the situation.

Please don't let these workers slip through the cracks. Send the message
below to William Murphy of Harvard's Labor Relations Dept. Feel free to cut
and paste, or write your own version. Suggested text:

"I am very troubled by reports of termination threats against homeless HUCTW
member Randy Fenstermacher. I understand that Marvin Byrd, another HUCTW
member, who has diabetes, had his hours cut after an approved short-term
disability leave. I call on Harvard to remove the unfair warnings and
threats of firing from Randy Fenstermacher's file, and restore Marvin Byrd's
lost hours. I will be watching these cases with  interest."

Please send your protest to: bill_murphy at harvard.edu. Pls cc me at
geoff.carens at gmail.com.

Thank you all for your defense of workers' rights! Please forward this email
everywhere! A Facebook event for the email blitz is
here<http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110612995700763#%21/event.php?eid=110612995700763>.


In Solidarity,

Geoff Carens, Union Rep, HUCTW/AFSCME local 3650
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