by P.D. Lesko
Just like the lyric from the "West Side Story" song, it's "alarming how charming" Smokey Thomas is. He has a strong Canadian accent, speaks rapidly and with a folksy warmth. Thomas laughs easily, and doesn't hesitate when he calls the democratic process in his own union a "pain in the ass"— or backtrack and ask that the comment be striken from the interview. In fact, his demeanor makes it difficult to believe that Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) members sometimes refer the Toronto-based organization as the "Lebanon of the labour movement" thanks to vicious political infighting during conventions and elections. Thomas, a member of the union for decades, is not outsider to the warfare. He is, however, not the least bit pretentious. Warren (Smokey) Thomas was elected president of Canada's Ontario Public Service Employees Union on April 20, 2007, after serving three terms (six years) as First vice president and Treasurer. The 55-year old registered practical nurse has been an OPSEU activist for 25 years beginning as president of Local 431 at the Ontario Psychiatric Hospital in Kingston, Ontario, where he represented more than 1,000 members. He was elected to OPSEU’s Executive Board in 1993.
NOTE: With the exception of efolletts.com, all of the on-line textbook sellers mentioned in this piece, originally published in 2000, have gone out of business
by Jay Vandergelt
I LOVE TENNESSEE Williams's work. My favorite of his plays is "A Streetcar Named Desire." The complex and manipulative Blanche DuBois and the equally as complex and brutishly stubborn Stanley Kowalski face off. On a related topic (you'll see how in a moment), I have been following the recent surge in online textbook sales with some interest, and have come to the conclusion that these textbook vendor dot.coms (bigwords.com, ecampus.com, varsitybooks.com, textbooks.com, efolletts.com, etc...) market to faculty the way Blanche DuBois lived her life. That is to say, these dot.com businesses pitch to faculty by relying on the kindness of strangers. "Do something nice for your students...." the ads all clamor. Pshaw.
Posted: January 6th, 2010
This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many pages like this one or sub-pages as you like and manage all of your content inside of WordPress.
Comments: 0
Published: 2009-01-27
Adjunct Advocate Cartoonist & Blogger Matt Hall Talks About What Drove Him Out of the Classroom and into Cartooning.
Available to registered users only
Published: 2008-11-20
OPSEU Union President Smokey Thomas Talks About Organizing 10,500 Part-timers in Ontario
Available to registered users only
Published: 2008-04-24
Wilfred Laurier Faculty Union President Judy Bates Discusses WL's Part-Time Faculty Strike
Available to registered users only
Published: 2008-04-24
Much to the Chagrin of NYSUT Union Leaders, SUNY Full-timer Dr. Peter D.G. Brown Advocates on Behalf of His 8000 PT Colleagues.
Available to registered users only
Published: 2008-04-24
Libby Smigel and Kip Lornell Talk About Their 7-Year Battle to Organize Their PT Colleagues At George Washington University.
Available to registered users only
Published: 2008-01-29
AAUP President Dr. Cary Nelson Discusses How the AAUP Can Simultaneously Support PT Faculty and Call for Drastic Cuts in Their Numbers.
Available to registered users only
There are precious few opportunities for faculty off the tenure-track to connect with each other. This listserv is hosted by AdjunctNation.com in an effort to provide a way for contingent faculty to share news, information and opinions concerning issues that impact part-time faculty.
Join the Adjunct Listserv
Part-Time Thoughts
MLA Delegate Assembly Spends Six Hours on Debate Over Ward Churchill and 30 Minutes Discussing Use of Part-time Faculty
Super Adjunct
How To Be an Adjunct Love-Magnet!!!
Negotiating the Paradox: Adjuncts & Writing
The Tenure Track as Constraint (and minor updates)
Freeway Flyer
Frequent Flyers and a Different Slant on Job Security
Juggling 101
The Hot and Cold of Chili Peppers
The Mentor Is In
Geek Life: Getting Students Organized
Teaching In Pajamas
In Fond Remembrance of Spring Break
The New Adjunct
New Adjunct, Same Conference Hustle: Reflections
The Union Army
St. Francis Adjunct Faculty Joins AFT/NEA Union
Got a doozy of a student excuse to share? Log in above, and then add your excuse to our Excuse of the Day list!