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"Student workers are not
separated from the larger working class" Eddie Martinez, SWAG/IWW Edmonton – Upon the lessons derived from several successful strikes initiated by the University of Toronto graduate students, the "Battle of Seattle," and from occasional union-student mobilizations, a new layer of politicized youth in Edmonton is emerging. They are taking up the banner of anti-globalization and human rights. The Student Worker Action Group (SWAG) hopes to be of use in directing part of the enthusiasm among activist youth towards organizing their working lives – as students. SWAG is a new student organization based at the University of Alberta, with a membership composed of activists from PEAS (Preservation of Education Accessibility for Society), the New Democrat Youth of Alberta, the World University Services Club (WUSC), the Industrial Workers of the World, and independent progressives. We call ourselves student workers because we believe students are not separated from the larger working class, as we engage in unpaid labour in reproducing the skilled labour pool for companies and the Canadian state; we’re more often than not employed in low wage service sector jobs; and with the high levels of cooperation between campuses and corporations, students are increasingly obligated to serve in practicums and in research and development for the benefit of the private sector, earning little or no pay. SWAG plans to follow up on the previous work initiated by WUSC in influencing the University administration to approve a Corporate Code of Conduct in relation to anti-sweatshop apparel mobilizations carried through in other Canadian and American campuses. However, as we aim to serve an official link between the labour movement and student activists, we also see the need to develop our working relationship with campus-based unions against the larger threat of privatization and to organize as workers. We will also aim to expand student-worker organizing to technical and community colleges, as the problems of post-secondary education are widespread and shared among all students. We will ally with any organization fighting to protect public education, unionized jobs and workers’ rights, and essentially the larger community we live in. For more information about SWAG call (780) 461-2021 or |