[Linganth] Please Vote "No" on AAA Referendum #2

[Kerim Friedman]

[Please Distribute Widely]

Dear fellow AAA Members,

I admit it, I normally throw my AAA ballot in the circular file. But
this year I didn't, because I knew that there were some important
labor related issues at stake. However, as I sat down to vote, I
realized just how confusing the wording is for Referendum #2. Although
it might seem otherwise, if you wish to support the collective
bargaining rights of workers in the United States, you should vote
"no" on this referendum!

Voting "no" will keep the current wording of the guidelines passed by
the AAA executive board last December.

Voting "no" will keep the wording as follows:

"AAA staff responsible for negotiating and administering meeting venue
contracts shall select only meeting facilities whose staff are
represented by a union."

Voting "yes" will have the adverse affect of changing this wording to
remove the word "must" and replace it with "strongly prefers," thus
weakening our bargaining position in negotiating contracts with hotel
and conference chains.

Referendum #2 misrepresents the number of venues that the AAA will
continue to be able to use we keep the current language. It does this
by listing venues the AAA has historically attended, rather than all
the potential venues we could continue to use.

Please take the time to vote on this important ballot.

Vote "no" on Referendum #2.

You can comment on this referendum, and view other comments, at the
following URL;

<http://www.aaanet.org/committees/nom/05comments/05_ref_mtgs.htm>

Thank you.

P. Kerim Friedman
Visiting Professor of Anthropology
Haverford College
On behalf of AAA-UNITE
http://aaaunite.blogspot.com
The views expressed here are my own.