Local
Part Two
Student Life versus student lives?
Provost/OAA is not the worse example on campus. That ignoble prize goes to the Office of Student Life or SL. This model for disorganization and dysfunction is headed by a Vice President, who according to the one dimensional organizational chart on its dizzying uninformative website, sits above 10 Associate Vice Presidents and a “leadership team.”
Central Ohio rank-and-file Kroger employees, who are also United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 1059 members, for a second time in a month overwhelmingly voted “No” to a new three-year contract even though the contract had been endorsed by UFCW 1059.
A 40-year Kroger employee, who is also a UFCW 1059 steward, told the Free Press that membership’s next vote could be a vote “to strike.”
“In my 40 years we have never voted to strike. We have voted ‘No’ on contracts, but I cannot recall a time when we were going to vote to strike,” they said on the condition of anonymity.
The vote was 1,722 “No” to 677 “Yes.” The union steward believes roughly half the membership did not vote, and suggested it wasn’t due entirely to apathy, but because UFCW 1059 only offered four voting locations throughout Columbus, making it difficult for single mothers and those who work outside Franklin County.
Thursday, September 1, 7-9pm, Tuttle Park [on the south side of the Tuttle Community Center], 240 W. Oakland Ave.
If you’re looking to find both community and purpose from an extracurricular organization, join Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists at our annual pizza party kicking off the autumn semester.
Have meet-cutes with fellow radicals as you reach for the same slice of pizza (of which there are vegan, gluten-free, and kosher options), discuss politics, and learn about Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists [CORS] and opportunities to build the Left and enact change outside of the two-party system that’s failed us.
The pizza’s also free, like all food should be.
Consume it “picnic-style” just north of OSU campus, on the south side of the Tuttle Recreation Center, or Zoom in for the discussion portions of our meeting at tinyurl.com/CORSmeeting.
Thursday, September 1, 7-9pm, Tuttle Park [on the south side of the Tuttle Community Center], 240 W. Oakland Ave.
If you’re looking to find both community and purpose from an extracurricular organization, join Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists at our annual pizza party kicking off the autumn semester.
Have meet-cutes with fellow radicals as you reach for the same slice of pizza (of which there are vegan, gluten-free, and kosher options), discuss politics, and learn about Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists [CORS] and opportunities to build the Left and enact change outside of the two-party system that’s failed us.
The pizza’s also free, like all food should be.
Consume it “picnic-style” just north of OSU campus, on the south side of the Tuttle Recreation Center, or Zoom in for the discussion portions of our meeting at tinyurl.com/CORSmeeting.
World BEYOND War’s Second Annual War Abolisher Awards will recognize the work of an environmental organization that has prevented military operations in state parks in Washington State, a filmmaker from New Zealand who has documented the power of unarmed peacemaking, Italian dock workers who have blocked the shipment of weapons of war, and British peace activist and Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn who has taken a consistent stand for peace despite intense pressure.
An online presentation and acceptance event, with remarks from representatives of all four 2022 award recipients will take place on September 5 at 8 a.m. in Honolulu, 11 a.m. in Seattle, 1 p.m. in Mexico City, 2 p.m. in New York, 7 p.m. in London, 8 p.m. in Rome, 9 p.m. in Moscow, 10:30 p.m. in Tehran, and 6 a.m. the next morning (September 6) in Auckland. The event is open to the public and will include interpretation into Italian and English.
The Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN), based on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, will be awarded the Organizational War Abolisher of 2022 award.
I’ve had four encounters with Columbus City Council President Shannon G. Hardin since the beginning of the summer.
The first three happened in early June: the executive committee of the Columbus Coalition for Rent Control, of which I’m a member, met with him and Councilmember Shayla D. Favor, Chair of the Housing, Public Health, and Criminal Justice committees on City Council. We had a meeting to discuss whether our petition and their “Housing For All” legislative package had any overlap.
The second was at the panel discussion and “Town Hall” event meant to introduce an educational campaign about said legislation.
After the “Town Hall” – a dog-and-pony show during which three people from the committee were allowed to pose questions to a panel of bureaucrats and an elected official who had nothing to do with the legislation – Council President Hardin asked me what I thought of the proposed legislation.
“It looks like a good framework,” I said, adding, “But – ”
“But it needs to have some teeth,” interjected Hardin. He followed that up by saying, “Thank you for everything you do. Keep holding us accountable – I mean it.”
Monthly Green Drinks events are back! On hiatus since February 2020, Green Drinks is an informal meetup of local residents who care about the environment. Please join us to kick off this programming Tuesday, August 30th, from 5:30-7:30 pm at Milestone 229! Milestone 229 is located on the Scioto Mile at 229 Civic Center Dr., and you'll find us out on the patio.
Special guests will include Rose Fortman, owner of Windrose Outdoor, and Shelly Douglas, the new Executive Director of Green Columbus. Come learn about kayak and paddleboard rentals on the Scioto and hear what Green Columbus has been up to! There will be special drink deals provided by 614 Lager and Buckeye Vodka, with 50% of proceeds going toward our Earth Day 2023 fund.
Swing by after work to enjoy happy hour pricing, chat with fellow Green Drinks enthusiasts, and support Green Columbus! We can't wait to see you and share what we've been working on.
Joe Motil, former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime community advocate who has begun circulating petitions to run for Mayor in the 2023 May primary election states, “On the eve of the 59th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 'I Have a Dream Speech' an act of civil disobedience took place in the front yards of Council President Shannon Hardin, City Attorney Zach Klein and Councilwoman Shayla Favor’s homes. Reverend Gary Witte and I peacefully protested the failure of city policy to address our rising homeless crisis in Columbus. We established camp in the front yard of Mr. Hardin’s far east side home. Three other advocates for the homeless camped in the front yard of City Attorney Zach Klein and two others at the residence of Councilwoman Shayla Favor.”
"Shannon Hardin is a graduate of Morehouse College. This is the same college that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended and graduated, and where he practiced his skills as a champion of civil of civil rights and civil disobedience. It appears that Hardin finds Dr. King’s faith, philosophy and acts of civil disobedience unlawful and distasteful.”
Now that Columbus City Schools (CCS) teachers are back in schools, they have a simple request of Superintendent Dr. Talisa Dixon and her allies on the Board: "Please come to my school, a football game, an orchestra concert, and get to know us and what we do for the district."
But from what the Free Press has heard repeatedly over the summer – as the paper has been speaking regularly with a dozen teachers or so – is that Dr. Dixon has been, in many ways, not accessible to teachers and seemingly disinterested in their day-to-day efforts.
True, the virus forced schools to go remote in 2020, but these long-time teachers say there’s a tangible difference between Dr. Dixon and one past Superintendent, in particular.
CCS teachers told the Free Press they like to reflect on how Superintendent Dr. Dan Good treated them. Dr. Good ran the district from 2013 to 2017.
“He came to your school, walked the hallways, and he wanted to know your name and he wouldn’t forget who you were,” said one teacher.
We are quoting all teachers anonymously as they fear retaliation.