AFSCME Sympathy Strike aka AWDU wants you to get sick!

As you all know by now UAW 2865 went out on strike Nov 20 in sympathy with AFSCME 3299 who was protesting an unfair labor practice by university management.

While we totally want any political points scored by this successful strike - both in turnout and popularity - we also want to make the following clear: This strike was just a plot by AWDU to get you all sick!

It rained in Berkeley, Davis, and Santa Cruz on the day of the strike. AWDU leaders called the strike 7 days in advance, yet current meteorological technology can forecast up to 10 days in advance - at least. This means that AWDU called a strike on a day that they knew would be rainy. They were plotting to get people out on the picket line all day in the soaking wet conditions. But why?

Because they want you to be sick.

We meant it when we said that AWDU is out to destroy the union and kill its opponents. Well now that Paycheck First has been sent to a parallel dimension  in the most extreme act of political banishment ever and we at Paycheck Only disappeared for over a month and have refused to explain why beyond cryptic statements that should totally make you assume the worst, the only opposition left is the rank and file. In their final solution to end union democracy AWDU wants to be rid of the rank and file for good, so that they can NEVER be voted out!

They knew that you are poor and over-worked and stressed out, and that you probably do't eat very healthy because you're always tired and on the run, so they were counting on your immune system being depleted and that a single day in the rain on strike would spell your demise. And it worked! You're not even reading this now because you are dead!

But how did we survive, you ask (or you would if you weren't dead)?

Remember that both we and Paycheck First have opposed contract expiration from the beginning, and if it were up to us we would have had a contract settled over the summer so that our members didn't have to worry about reading updates and coming to bargaining sessions, and attending rallies and actions, and certainly not strikes! Never strikes! We can only strike because of contract expiration, and we both have opposed contract expiration unwaveringly from the beginning.

It would have been hypocritical of us then to actually go out on strike. And we're not hypocrites. That's how we are still alive. Scabs are like roaches, but roaches are survivors.

So that's it then. Anyone who opposed contract expiration but then tries to sound all full of solidarity about the strike is really a self-serving two-faced asshole that wouldn't know solidarity if it stood by them in their time of need. We know what we are here at Paycheck Only and we are proud of it. We even got overtime pay for helping Professor Coward teach the canceled discussion sections.

Hocus Pocus - We're baaaack!!

Like magic, POOF! we're back!

We're not going to explain why we've been quiet these last few weeks, but we're back. Maybe we should say something vague to remind people of our narrative... Yeah that sounds good. We're not saying that we received any threats, but if we did we certainly have hired a bounty hunter to find the offenders and bring them to justice. And that's all we'll say about that. Just enough for you to assume something serious but not enough for anyone to accuse us of actually saying anything.

Quick updates:

No contract:The end is here! We thought we were watching The Walking Dead but it turns out that our contract expired and we are now living in the post-apocalyptic hellscape that we predicted. Oh wait... Nope, just still watching The Walking Dead. We thought last season was the finale? We're confused. Why are they still living in that prison?

Strike vote passed overwhelmingly: As much as we hate strikes (and unions really for that matter) we have to at least pretend that we are willing to act like a union and go on strike if necessary. Otherwise management wouldn't give us a big fat raise because they would see us a weak - which is their own fault for no understanding that the strongest unions never go on strike. In fact the less you strike the stronger you are!

Elections: Elections happened and AWDU candidates lost! High five! We are working on a process of endorsing candidates. So far we like Richard Blum and Janet Napolitano and we hope that they consider running. Their experience with large organizations would prove a strength. We are considering either forming a caucus called the Admin Caucus (which is what we've been pejoratively called) or maybe just continue pretending that we are unaffiliated so that we can maintain our moral high ground and don't sound condescending and partisan with our half-baked criticisms...

Superbowl ad - The union took out a huge loan for a superbowl ad showing homeless TAs shooting up heroin and selling crack to pay for books and food. Stay classy AWDU! But seriously why would you allow a rank and file member to speak to the levels of desperation and resourcefulness that we have to go to because of our poverty wages? We're all for a democratic union, but come-on, you can't just let anyone talk at bargaining! The Republican party did it right when they screened people for their town hall meetings in the primary. Then even worse this info went out to members in an e-mail! I mean sure, if this is what people are doing in oder to make ends meet than telling them that isn't news, you're just repeating what they already know. But I doubt its even true. You can't trust everything grad students say, I mean, I hear they do drugs.

Not funny. We don't find humor funny. The UAW twitter posted a "funny" image and we are offended that the union isn't super serious all the time. I mean, just because bargaining team members are working more than double the time they are getting paid for, and some are falling behind in school just to get as much organizing done as possible, doesn't mean that these same people have the RIGHT to try to diffuse their frustration with management through humor in their spare time. We think that all elected officials should be robots. Robots are cold and humorless, and can work for free 24 hours a day. Much better than our current leadership. Also did we mention that we hate laughter?

*We aren't going to mention Davis bargaining being canceled because we hate Davis. We heard all they do up there is joke around.