SNRE Solidarity

I’m a picketer signed up for a shift. Where do I go? What
do I do?

GEO will set up a Strike Central Nervous System (Strike CNS!) on
the Diag outside of Haven Hall. You’ll see a table full of
supplies, picket signs, and volunteer staffers. Please come to
this location TEN minutes before your shift begins. You’ll sign
in, get a picket sign, a name tag, and some other supplies. Then,
we’ll either have you wait until a critical mass of picketers
arrives and send you off to a picket line, or simply send you as
soon as you arrive. Once you arrive at your picket line, you’ll
check in with the GEO Strike Captain (look for someone wearing a
funny hat), who will make sure you have everything you need to get
started. And then, join the line!

If you want to picket at a particular place, let us know that when
you arrive, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

I don’t remember my shift. Can you remind me what it is?

We actually have too many picket commitments to get our data entry
done for this task (a very good problem to have!), so we ask that
if you are in doubt, please consider the 8am shift on both days,
as these are the shifts with the fewest commitments at this point.

I’d like to picket with people I know. How do I accomplish
this?

Picketing with friends is a great thing! Our best advice is to
show up at Strike CNS at the same time as the people with whom
you’d like to picket. If you are joining someone who is already on
a picket line, show up at Strike CNS and we’ll do our best to
accommodate sending you there. We’re trying to keep track of who
is where so we know the strength of each line at any given time;
coming to our central location will help us out, but if you just
end up on a line, no one will turn you away!

I’m picketing all day! Won’t I get hungry? Thirsty? Cold?
Rained on? A Sore Throat?

We thought about all of these things!

 FOOD AND DRINK: 
 On the lines, we’ll have snacks available – fruit and trail mix –
 as well as water bottles, coffee and hot water for tea. For lunch
 during the Tuesday’s midday shift, thanks to a generous donation
 of food and cooking power from a member of a UAW local union,
 we’ll be bringing hot food to the various picket lines (awesome
 rice and beans in pitas), and to the Diag for the midday rally. Of
 course, you should feel free to bring what you need to keep
 yourself full and powered up!

 BAD WEATHER, SORE THROATS, and FEET!
 Please prepare for rain and snow. We’ll have trash bags to keep
 people covered up from rain. We also suggest wearing layers, hats,
 scarves and gloves, as well as very comfortable shoes. We’ll have
 water bottles to keep your throats lubricated, but again, feel
 free to bring your own as well. We’ll also have lozenges, pain
 killers, and band-aids on hand.

 REST:
 Take breaks if you need to. The most important thing you can do is
 rest your voice and feet if you over overexerting yourself. Let
 your strike captain know that you need a break; you could
 volunteer to pass out handbills to those going into buildings.

 If you need an indoor break, you may also head to Café Ambrosia,
 located at 326 Maynard Street (between Liberty and William, a
 block west of State Street), where the owner Ed has generously
 lent the entire basement to GEO for this very purpose.

 BATHROOMS:
 We’ve got portapotties scattered near picket lines for people to
 take bathroom breaks; Café Ambrosia is also an available spot.

What are other ways I can show my support?
One really important thing you can do is thank the folks at Café
Ambrosia for being an integral, crucial part of this walkout. Ed,
the owner, as well as Jimmy, Matt, and other staff at the café are
giving us the entire basement of the cafe to use for whatever we
need- making coffee, providing storage, keeping phones charged,
warming food and picketers up on a regular basis, and providing
general moral support. PLEASE stop by Ambrosia whenever you can to
thank Ed and others, and leave a generous tip if you are able to.
AND, make Ambrosia your exclusive coffee source for the rest of
your time in Ann Arbor.

Other things you can do?
Bring friends with you to the walkout.
Encourage those who are leaving the lines to stay! Talk to
everyone you know about why you’re participating and welcome
people to be part of the fight.