Category Archives: Actions & Statements

In support of the right to peaceful protest

The Wisconsin University Union (WUU) stands in solidarity with the students, staff, and faculty currently under investigation by UW-Madison for their involvement in the encampment protests in Spring of 2024, many of whom are members of allied organizations UFAS and TAA. We believe that the right to free expression and peaceful protest is a fundamental aspect of our university community, and that right must be protected.

UW-Madison has a long and proud history of activism, with student-led movements playing a crucial role in advancing social justice and shaping public discourse. From the anti-war protests of the 1960s to the more recent movements for climate action and racial equity, our campus has been a beacon of free expression and a space to advance knowledge through essential, and often challenging, discourse. To pay lip service to this legacy while wielding policy as a restraint, particularly after the violence that involved law enforcement brought to Library Mall at the behest of UW-Madison leadership, is both hypocritical and antithetical to the ideals of our institution. The Administration of UW-Madison has discretion in how it handles these matters, and we call upon them to use this power wisely. We urge the administration to prioritize the protection of free expression and to support the rights of our community members to engage in peaceful protest without fear of retribution. Further, we urge UW-Madison administration to follow through on the terms of the agreements made with protest organizers in good faith. This is both a matter of upholding the principles of academic freedom and also a matter of honoring the legacy of activism that has defined our university for generations.

The Wisconsin University Union remains committed to defending the rights of all UW-Madison employees and students to peacefully express their views and advocate for causes they believe in. We stand in solidarity with those who are facing repercussions for their involvement in these protests and will continue to advocate for a campus environment where free expression is valued and protected.

Support for CUNA workers

Workers from CUNA Mutual in Madison (OPEIU Local 39) are preparing to go on strike tomorrow, May 19. In support of the workers, the WUU Executive Committee wrote the following letter to CEO Robert Trunzo and the CUNA Board of Directors, and will contribute $500 to the OPEIU Strike Fund.

Dear Robert Trunzo and the CUNA Mutual Group Board of Directors,

We write in support of OPEIU Local 39 and urge you to meet them at the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith. We are deeply troubled by the recent firing of Chief Steward Joe Evica and by CUNA Mutual Group/TruStage (CMFG)’s pattern of dismantling career-oriented, long term jobs for people in the Madison Community.

CMFG workers are not just fighting for a fair contract; they are fighting for good union jobs to remain in Wisconsin. Their struggle impacts all of us as workers and community members. Wages that keep up with inflation, quality and affordable healthcare for remote-out-of-state employees, a uniform pension plan, job security/protections, and pay equity reviews to ensure transparency are not luxuries. They are basic rights that all working people deserve. It is disappointing that CMFG would break the law and fire a good worker as retaliation for union activity rather than invest in Madison families.

Workers should not have to authorize an Unfair Labor Practices strike to be heard. You have a legal obligation to meet your employees at the bargaining table as equals. They have been patiently waiting for over 400 days. We urge you to settle a fair contract now.

Sincerely,
Wisconsin University Union Executive Committee

Paid family leave

WUU enthusiastically endorses the Paid Family Leave resolution that will be considered by the UW-Madison Faculty Senate on 6 March 2023 and by the Academic Staff Assembly on 13 March.

The resolution brings important attention to a June, 2022, report from an ad hoc Working Group on Family Leave for UW-Madison Employees. That report provides a detailed summary of the many gaps and inconsistencies in current policies at UW-Madison, the value and public support for paid family leave, for recruitment competitiveness and for equity in the workplace.

The report’s strong recommendations include: “Provide for all employees to receive at least six weeks of fully paid leave after a birth, adoption, or foster placement, separate from other paid leave benefits…[and establish] a timeline for phased increases over a period of two to three bienniums to a range of 8-12 weeks of fully paid leave.”

UFAS Covid Demands

United Faculty and Staff (UFAS) calls on the University of Wisconsin–Madison and UW System to:

1) Require all students, faculty, and staff who will be on campus to be vaccinated for COVID-19. 

2) Continue to require masking and social distancing. 

3) Continue to require frequent testing among unvaccinated staff, students, and faculty and implement randomized testing among all staff, students, and faculty, regardless of vaccination status. 

4) Utilize best practices for improved ventilation

5) Institute a more flexible policy on remote or hybrid teaching modalities for all faculty, instructional academic staff, and graduate instructors. 

6) Increase investments in UW–Madison’s mental healthcare resources to address the mental health challenges accompanying a year and a half of death, illness, and disruption. 

7) Allow for broad flexibility in remote work arrangements for all campus workers.

To sign on

Beck-Elder Awards

Wisconsin University Union Executive Committee is launching a new initiative, the Beck-Elder Awards, to provide funding in support of governance and a democratic workplace on campus. The full announcement with details on how to apply is viewable as a GoogleDoc here.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, with initial evaluation typically within a month.

Join WUU

Friends and colleagues,
After some quiet time, the Wisconsin University Union is stepping up because so many University employees are facing serious challenges with their jobs.

We’re asking you to join, in anticipation of new elections to be held
in October. Annual dues are only $10. You can send a check or pay
through PayPal
. Please join by October 15.

WUU works to give faculty and staff an effective voice in the governance of the institution. WUU helps employees navigate processes for grievances and appeals, and assists with outside legal help when appropriate. If you know UW faculty or staff who need such assistance, please contact us.

In solidarity,
Joe Salmons and Lydia Zepeda
WUU President and Treasurer

Academic Petition in Support of Immigrants & International Collaboration

In response to the Executive Order released last week that directs, among many problematic measures, a 90-day suspension of immigration of nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen; a stay on the order was issued by Judge Connelly in New York. A victory for the local ACLU. Here is the text of that document.

The stay is a short term victory. The Executive Order includes many other threats, much questionable language, and academics across the country have responded to these threats with a petition. Here is the press release for that petition. Please read the press release for the complete stance on the petition.

More than 6,000 academics signed in the first 24 hours after the order was issued. More than 42,000 have signed total. At least 30,000 are US Faculty Members. Other signatories include post-doctoral scholars, doctoral candidates, masters students and non-US scholars. Here is the home page for the petition.

Wide circulation is highly encouraged. To sign, send an email, preferably from a .edu address, to: NoToImmigrationEO@gmail.com.

The *subject line* of the email should include your: name, award/distinction, title, affiliation.

Image: “IIE delegation in Tehran, Iran” – with credit to IHE, 8/18/2015