Angry Professor Mounts His Own Labor Protest in Alabama

Glenn Feldman, a labor historian, accuses the U. of
Alabama at Birmingham of trying to drive him out
because of a pro-business bias.

By Peter Schmidt
The Chronicle of Higher Education
July 12, 2010
http://chronicle.com/article/An-Angry-Professor-Mounts-His/66270

Note to college administrators: Think twice about
getting into fights with experts on labor activism.

The risk is ending up locked in battle with the likes
of Glenn Feldman, a tenured labor historian at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham. Administrators
there abandoned a training center that he ran.
Convinced that they withdrew support-and now are trying
to drive him out-because they have a pro-business bias,
the professor has come at his bosses with two lawsuits,
a faculty grievance, and a U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission complaint. He also mobilized
members of the United Steelworkers to swamp the
facsimile machines in the administration's central
office, and has sent the entire State Legislature an e-
mail message accusing the University of Alabama
system's administration of misusing state funds and
victimizing him because he is Hispanic.

Along the way, Mr. Feldman helped establish a chapter
of the American Association of University Professors on
his campus-getting himself elected as its president-and
persuaded the state conference of the AAUP to take up
his cause.

He probably is not done yet.

"I am being treated in a way that is beyond
description," Mr. Feldman said in an interview. He
characterized himself as someone "who has wanted to do
nothing but write and teach," but now finds himself
defending his livelihood from people who object to his
views.

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