Milwaukee, WI – On May 5, a flash protest of about 50 students occurred at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee campus to call on students to take action to resist the cuts that form part of the 2015-17 Wisconsin budget proposal, in which Governor Scott Walker insists on a $300 million cut to the UW system.
Tampa, FL – Students at the University of South Florida (USF) won a campaign to keep their library open 24 hours per day. Returning USF students were surprised in August to find the library would be closed at midnight and re-opening at 7:00 a.m. everyday. This comes after years of open hours on the campus. The students defeated the cutbacks imposed by the University administration by organizing and taking action. The victory was announced Sept. 5.
Fight is over job security and defending public education
Chicago, IL – On Sept. 10, Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 went on strike after ten months at the bargaining table. They tried to use negotiations with the Chicago School Board to defend their jobs and the interests of their students. When the Chicago Public Schools refused to back away from their corporate agenda, CTU members had no choice but to strike.
Salt Lake City, UT – Students, professors and the local community protested a move to close the cosmetology program at the Taylorsville campus of Salt Lake Community College on May 16.
Raleigh, NC – A massive crowd of 8000 teachers, youth and community members wearing red shirts swelled outside the North Carolina State Legislative Building on May 3 to protest cuts to education. The rally was organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators. Dozens of community and grassroots organizations, including the NAACP, Farm Labor Organizing Committee and Students for a Democratic Society, mobilized to show their support for public school teachers and to defend education from attack by right-wing legislators.