Berkeley Sample Talking Points for Class Presentations - UAW 2865

One Page Talking Points for Nov. 8-­‐15 Class Organizing
Recommendations for before the Presentation:
1. Get together the following:
• Your preferred set of presentation talking points.
• Enough Nov. 9-16 flyers for everyone in the class/group.
• Nov. 9-16 signup sheets.
2. Call or email the instructor to reconfirm the day, time, and length of your class discussion.
Recommendations for after the Presentation
1. Make sure you get all the signup sheets back from people in the class or group.
2. Enter all of the signups into this online form: www.uaw2865.org/november. This will
populate a google spreadsheet where campus organizers will have access to all the signups
from your campus. Alternatively, drop all of the signups, donations, and leftover materials at
the union office:
2070 Allston Way suite 205 (between Shattuck and Milvia) or at another location arranged
for on campus.
3. Touch base with one of the volunteer coordinators for your campus.
I’m here to start an urgent conversation with you all about the crisis facing the UC, and public
education in general in California. For more information, check: www.uaw.2865.org.
Q: Could some one guess how much money has been cut from public education since 2009?
A: $17 billion.
Q: Can anyone guess by what percentage Wall Street profits grew in that same period?
A: 29.2% in 2010. Wells Fargo and Bank of America paid 0% in net taxes because of corporate
tax breaks.
Q: Wall Street obviously hasn’t contributed to public education. Who then has had to pay for
cuts to public education?
A: UC has tripled tuition in the last ten from a little more than $4,000 to $13,360 this year. 1
Now President Yudof has proposed increasing tuition as another 20% if Prop 30 fails.
Who decides on tuition hikes? The UC Regents? Does anyone know who the UC Regents are?
A: The same folks from Wall Street who have lobbied for tax breaks for themselves at the same
time they increased our tuition. They are people like Russell Gould, a former Vice President of
Wells Fargo. Monica Lozano, a board member of Bank of America. And Dick Blum, Chair of
the largest commercial real estate corporation in the world – and a huge beneficiary of property
tax loopholes in California.
1 Elysse James, “UC schools increase fall tuition 8%,%=” Orange County Register, Nov. 18, 2010, http://www.ocregister.com/articles/increase-
276647-percent-schools.html

One Page Talking Points for Nov. 8-­‐15 Class Organizing
In addition to the private fortunes of these UC Regents, $440 million a year goes from our tuition
and campus funds to UC Office of the President where they develop privatization schemes
instead of teaching and doing research. Last year, UC medical centers made $900 million in
profits.
Now they say, if Proposition 30 fails to provide new funding for UC, they will hike our tuition
and cut classes even more. And they refuse to use the money they’ve stashed away at UC Office
of the President and the medical centers.
Do you folks think we should use these funds to roll back tuition and cuts?
This last year, students, workers, and faculty stopped cuts and tuition hikes for the first time in a
decade by taking to the streets.
But at a recent “retreat,” top UC management revealed two alternate strategies for privatizing
UC. Management will push a gradual privatization of UC if Prop 30 passes. If Prop 30 fails,
they’ll propose even more of the draconian cuts and tuition hikes that are accelerating the resegregation
of UC.
We can’t let top UC management frame our future as inevitable privatization. No matter what
happens with Prop 30, UC could access billions of dollars for rolling back tuition hikes and cuts
to instruction, for safe staffing in UC hospitals, and for equal retirement security for UC
employees. But only if the choice is up to students, workers, and faculty instead of the UC
Regents and executives – many of whom have close ties to banks and corporations that profit
from student and university debt. So we are mobilizing for actions to Occupy the Regents and
decide for ourselves during the November 13-15 meetings.
Mass mobilizations begin Thursday. Nov 8 th leading up getting on the bus to the UC Regents on
Thursday Nov 15 th .
• Can you come to the big rally and walkout at noon on Sproul on Thursday, November
8 th ?
• Can everyone then signup on the signup sheet.
• (be sure to get all signup materials back from people in the class).
What can you do: Go to http://www.uaw2865.org/teachthebudget/ if you want to request a
presentation like this in another class, or to help give presentations. YOU can talk to your
friends. YOU can ask other GSIs and professors to talk about the cuts. YOU can propose a
discussion in your classes about walking out, and joining in.