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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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It's Day Two of Green River College Faculty Strike

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Tuesday, May 24, 2016   

AUBURN, Wash. - Faculty members at Green River College in south King County are in Day Two of a three-day strike, protesting the college's plans to cut some programs.

College President Eileen Ely has said the college will eliminate 11 programs in order to solve a $4 million budget deficit.

But Jaeney Hoene, president of the Green River United Faculty, said the college has $20 million in reserve from international students' tuition, which administrators can use at their discretion.

"Rather than putting it into the operating budget and keeping the operating budget solvent, they are keeping it aside in this reserve account to use on special projects, most of which have been capital projects - new buildings and renovations," said Hoene.

Hoene believes president Ely is retaliating against the union, part of AFT Washington, for filing unfair labor-practice complaints against the college, and thinks Ely has targeted programs run by outspoken union members.

The union has given Ely a vote of 'no confidence' on three separate occasions in four years, and one similar vote for the board of trustees.

Catherine Ushka, acting public information officer for Green River College, denies the school is cutting programs to retaliate against the union. She explained the budget gap is the result of a few different factors.

"The budget gap that we're looking at is a combination of reduced funding from the state, in the form of the reduction of tuition and other sources," said Ushka. "There's a change in the state funding formula set by the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. And we've also had reductions in enrollment."

Both faculty and students have staged recent walkouts to protest what they claim is mismanagement of school funds.

Hoene said 110 faculty members signed up to be part of the picket line and more than 100 adjunct professors are honoring the strike. Students joined the protest, too.

"We have heard from students throughout the day who have been out on the picket line with us and occasionally walk into campus to see what's going on," Hoene said. "And according to them, there is very, very, very little happening on campus."

She said the strike, which started Monday, will end tomorrow to limit its impact on students before the quarter ends on June 10.


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