4/1/2004

Rally demands changes in labor policy, more unions

Jason Gallagher
Daily Kent Stater

The sky over Risman Plaza may have been grey and gloomy, but it didn’t dim the passion of more than a dozen different unions and activist groups who rallied there for equal labor rights yesterday.

The rally, organized by student group Coalition for a Humane and New Global Economy, was part of Kent State’s Labor Action Week.

The week usually centers around April 4, the date of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, but this year April 4 is a Sunday. CHANGE decided to have the rally on March 31, labor organizer Cesar Chavez’s birthday.

Speakers included leaders from the American Association of University Professors, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, KSU Staff United and the Tri-County Regional Labor Council.

Herbert Stottler, president of the labor council, discussed the importance of getting out the vote in the fall election.

“Our future depends on young people. A lot of young people don’t vote, and if you don’t vote this time it could be your future,” he said. “The route we’re going right now is downhill. We’ve got to take back America.”

Politics was intertwined with other speeches as well, with some calling for the ousting of President Bush in November.