Word: coercion
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...activists have remained silent on the issue, claiming they were fighting for “justice” but offering few tangible arguments in defense of their principles. At long last, however, some of the PSLM’s defenders have taken up the issue of “coercion.” They contend that the distinction between a coercive and a non-coercive action is ambiguous and ultimately meaningless. While it is encouraging to see that they haven’t forgotten the issue altogether, their arguments in defense of “coercion?...
...critics of the PSLM denounce their tactics as “coercive,” it is not because those tactics are intended to “induce” rather than “persuade” Harvard to institute a living wage. Nor do we believe that coercion is simply a means of making a desired outcome preferable to other alternatives. These definitions clearly include many forms of bargaining. Suppose I want my neighbor’s wallet. If I hold a gun to his head and demand that he hand it over, I am making my desired...
...living wage sit-in of last spring “coercive” because it was not intended to persuade the administration to pay its workers a living wage (two years of such attempts had proven that futile) so much as to induce it to. “Coercion,” thus used, simply refers to any form of action used by one party that aims to make all alternatives to a desired outcome less preferable to the other party. Indeed, the purpose—and the success—of the sit-in was to make...
...been said, however, that coercion is “inappropriate” for a university community. Unfortunately, the administration has not given campus workers and their supporters any alternatives. Harvard may be exceptional in many ways, but when it comes to governance, the sad truth is that Harvard is no different from other corporations, and pressure tactics are just as appropriate and necessary here as anywhere else. Students, and workers especially, have virtually no say in university decision-making. If a large portion of the Harvard community believes that university policies are unjust, Harvard offers nothing more than infrequent token...
...Harvard wants to end coercion as a means to address deeply entrenched injustices on campus, it must radically change the way it functions. It must provide alternative means for effectively addressing glaring problems when they arise. In response to the sit-in of last spring, there were signs that the administration was beginning to head in this direction. Former President Neil L. Rudenstine created a committee with student, worker, and faculty representation to reevaluate university labor policy. This process, however limited, resulted in far more progress than was ever achieved by the worthless meetings between the Living Wage Campaign...