December 2, 2014
Dear members of AFT Local 3535 (TAUWP),
I hope everyone will join us on Friday, December 12, from 4-6 PM at the Riverwest Public House to celebrate the end of the semester and the beginning of the winter holidays. Over the coming months it should be our goal to continue to expand our union and to be a stronger force for faculty and academic staff on the UWM campus. In January, I’ll be in touch with dates for next semester’s general membership meetings.
This newsletter includes the following:
1. AFT Local 3535 News
2. Get involved: upcoming opportunities for action and participation
3. Links to important websites for our union
1. AFT Local 3535 News
· President’s Report on the AFT Wisconsin convention
Per our union’s constitution, I attended the AFT-Wisconsin convention held this year in Green Bay from Friday, November 14, until Saturday, November 15, along with the three other executive officers (Vice President Mark Evenson, Secretary Maurico Kilwein-Guevara, and Treasurer Bryan Kennedy) and Ray Spoto of UW-Platteville. Some of the highlights of the convention were a report by AFT Wisconsin’s legal counsel (Tim Hawkes) concerning the state of several ongoing cases and a meeting of the AFT-Wisconsin Higher Education Council. Those interested in the outcome of the various resolutions voted upon at the convention can find a full report at the AFT-Wisconsin website: http://www.aft-wisconsin.org/
At the Higher-Ed Meeting, our delegates, along with academic staff and TAs from several UW campuses, discussed statewide participation in the “National Adjunct Walkout Day” event planned for February 25th, for which see below.
· Finalization of the by-laws for “3535 PAC”
On Thursday, October 30, a meeting open to the union’s general membership convened at the Riverwest Public House to discuss the bylaws for “3535 PAC,” the union’s new Political Action Committee. The bylaws were finalized by the union’s executive board officers at the AFT-Wisconsin and unanimously approved by those members who attended the November 20th general membership meeting. The bylaws are now available on the union’s website at: http://tauwp.wi.aft.org/. The union’s PAC is a new tool intended to build support for union actions and to grow membership. Please contact me if you have any questions.
· AFT Local 3535 Presence at the UWM Chancellor Finalist Talks
We all owe thanks to those members of our union who once again spoke on behalf of AFT Local 3535 at the recent talks by finalists for the position of UWM Chancellor. It was particularly interesting to listen to the candidates’ responses when asked their opinion about the presence of faculty and academic staff unions on the campuses of public universities. These events were recorded. If you are interested in watching / listening to the talks and the Q&A, follow this link: http://uwm.edu/streamingvideo/candidates/
· “You know your GPA. Do you know your GPR?”
This is the question posed by the second installation in the union’s new poster campaign. At the November 20th general membership meeting, the draft concept of the poster was introduced. As discussed in previous communications, the subject of the poster will be the pitifully low per student GPR (General Purpose Revenue) percentage relative to its out-of-state peer institutions and even within the UW system. The audience for this poster is the student body. It was left up to the assembled members to decide to whom the students should address their concerns about these inequities. After some discussion, it was decided unanimously that the ultimate target of the poster should be the new Chancellor. In other words, students will be encouraged to call the Chancellor’s office and inquire as to the reason for the inequities they face as UWM students. The poster campaign will launch at the beginning of the next semester, just in time for our new Chancellor to take office. We will be organizing a teach-in to coincide with the introduction of the poster around campus.
2. Get involved: upcoming opportunities for action and participation
· Organizing Training: December 4th
Our AFT organizer on campus, John Fleissner, will host an organizing training in Mitchell Hall, Room 149, this Thursday, from 4-6 PM. All members of the union are strongly encouraged to attend.
· February 25th, 2015: “National Adjunct Walkout Day”
Word is spreading: February 25th will mark the first ever “National Adjunct Walkout Day,” a national event. See:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/10/06/national-adjunct-walkout-day-planned
And:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Adjunct-Walkout-Day/340019999501000
This event was the primary subject discussed at last month’s meeting of the Higher Education Council at the AFT-Wisconsin convention and is gaining momentum across the country. Various strategies for participation in the event were discussed at length at the November 20th general membership meeting. It was suggested that the walkout be voluntary at UWM, but that there be a teach-in component, including a panel in the Union Concourse composed of academic staff and faculty to discuss working conditions. Ideally, participants would join a rally in Spaights Plaza at noon, feeding into a teach-in in the Union Concourse at 12:45.
We are currently working with the AFT-Wisconsin Council of Higher Education to coordinate participation in this event, but for our role to prove effective we will need more than just the good will of our general membership. If you are interested in helping to organize around this event, please get in touch with me ASAP, and be sure to visit the union’s new Facebook site for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326290744232244/
3. List of important websites for our union
· AFT Local 3535 (TAUWP) webpage: http://tauwp.wi.aft.org/
· AFT Local 3535 “Facebook” page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/326290744232244/
· AFT Wisconsin website: http://www.aft-wisconsin.org/
In solidarity,
Richard Leson