University lecturers around the nation are on strike this week, demanding better pay and resources and working conditions. I have never participated in a strike; student protests, boycotts, random acts of laziness, sure, but never an organised strike.

Labour interests in America have been on the decline over the last few decades. In my current home state of Georgia, a policy called "right to work" gives workers who strike the "right to be fired," so strikes are rare among service workers and rarer still at the white-collar level.The campus is quiet, but I notice some notes taped to my office door. They read roughly as follows:

Dear Madame,I came to your office on Monday at 2:30 p.m., but you were not around. Please, contact me as I would like to discuss my long essay project. Thank you.I'll get back to that. Meanwhile, let's observe that strikes can be a very effective method for demonstrating the demand for a particular skill.

Refusing to work can prompt negotiations that can create better relationships between workers and managers. A good example is the United Auto Workers or UAW, an American labour union founded in 1935.

UAW made its greatest strides through successful strikes, first in Atlanta, GA and later in Flint, MI, after which the union was recognised by General Motors, the largest producer of cars in the world, then and now.

When World War II broke out, the UAW voted to suspend striking to avoid hindering the war effort. Since the 1970's auto workers have been steadily losing jobs to factory relocations and the UAW has seen a continuous decline in membership, topping 1.5 million members in 1979 and down to less than 500,000 today.

The story is chronicled in Michael Moore's first film, Roger and Me. It is a good example of what strikes can accomplish and how hard they are to conduct in today's labour market.

I saw another note taped to the door outside the Faculty of Arts building.

Dear Madame,I came to your office on Sunday at 3:30 a.m., you were not around. Please, contact me as I would like to discuss my long essay project.Thank you.

So I went to get the perspective of the students. One UB student says he does not agree with the strike, as "it is disturbing my studies. We come to school, there is no teacher, so what is the point?"

He adds that "I want the government to react very fast to their requests." The student says that he has heard rumours that "if the strike continues, then the students will start their own strike," though it is not clear to me how the students going on strike will change anything since they are already not in class.

Anyhow, I noticed a note on my door when I got home.

Dear Madame,I came to your house at 2:30 p.m today, you were not around.Please, contact me as I would like to discuss my long essay project. Also I borrowed that red skirt which is too short for someone your age, anyway. Thank you.

Finding some fufu corn and vegetable in the fridge, I ate lunch and watched a Nigerian film on Africa Magic, then left. Another student lamented to me that "classes are not" but she supports the strike. "I think they have a right. They are not being fairly treated."When I woke up this morning, I found this note taped to my forehead.

Dear Madame,I came to your house at 1:30 this morning. As the window was open, I came in and went to your room and shook you as hard as possible, but you did not wake up. I also beat on an iron pot with a stick but to no avail. Please, contact me as I would like to discuss my long essay project. Thank you.

In general, I support the rights of teachers and students to have the best possible teaching and learning environments, to have working schools that build the minds and character of all involved. I see how my colleagues are teaching so many courses while editing books, hosting conferences, publishing articles, delivering presentations, translating texts; they are serious and competitive world-class scholars in all respects, and I am inspired at UB everyday by the drive and ability of the people on this campus. Toward that end, I have left a message on my office door.

Dear students,I have died from fatigue and overwork. Please, contact a spiritualist to hold a séance to contact me as I would like to discuss your long essay projects. Thank you.