Saturday pickets, round two

I was back on the picket lines today, completing my second week with 20 hours of official duties (basically not counting all the time spent post-processing photos from the strike).

After the day’s picketing ended, there was an informal meeting at the strike HQ where people discussed yesterday’s meeting, the prospects for escalation, and other general matters of concern. People are divided on all sorts of questions, but a couple stand out in particular. First, there is a disagreement between those who think escalation is necessary and desirable (either to secure a deal better than yesterday’s proposal, or even to secure the proposal itself) and others who are either personally unwilling to escalate or who think it would be counter-productive as a consequence of causing more inconvenience to other members of the university community.

People were also quite confused about the proposal from yesterday: particularly about whether it represents our new official bargaining position or whether it represents the absolute minimum the membership is willing to accept.

With no pickets on Sundays, I get a “break” tomorrow to work on coordinating the brief. Monday, I will out on the picket lines once more.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan