2-20-15

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Vol. 105 Issue 118

@thepittnews

Friday, February 20, 2015

Peace talk: Pitt student groups host Middle East diplomat

Pittnews.com

Pitt service workers rally for change

Lauren Rosenblatt Staff Writer David Makovsky sees a future where peace in the Middle East is possible. Makovsky, a Ziegler distinguished fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy visited Pitt to discuss the Middle East peace process and how to make change in the world. Pitt College Republicans, Pitt College Democrats and Panthers for Israel teamed up to host the speaker in the William Pitt Union at 9 p.m. on Thursday. Throughout the hour-long speech, Makovsky, who works to promote U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, talked about Israeli politics, post-Sept. 11 themes in America, the difference between Christianity and Judaism and the struggles between Israelis and Palestinians. Gabrielle Hill and Cameron Linton, presidents of College Democrats and College Republicans, respectively, used the event as a way for the two clubs to collaborate. “As the new president of College Democrats, I wanted to reach out to more clubs on campus, so I reached out to Cameron to ar-

Middle East

Pitt students gathered to support University service workers in their effort to improve benefits. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

Dale Shoemaker Assistant News Editor

The microphone froze. At 7 p.m. Thursday night, it was two degrees in Oakland, and, despite a wind chill advisory from Pittsburgh news station WTAE, roughly 100 Pitt service workers, students and council members gathered on the sidewalk in 2 front of David Lawrence Hall to rally for fair

wages and cheaper health care, according to a press release following the demonstration. While Sam Williamson, regional director for 32BJ, was speaking, the microphone cut out temporarily because of the cold. The rally, organized by 32BJ, the local branch of the Service Employees International Union, comes amidst negotiations between service workers and Pitt. Among other duties, the service workers are responsible for clean-

ing University buildings and maintaining the campus grounds. Their current contract with Pitt expired in December, but the Union and Pitt agreed to extend it until the end of this month to allow time for negotiations. According to a press release that 32BJ sent out before the rally, service workers at Pitt, as a whole, make around $16 per hour. The Pitt

Union

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