Posts tagged American Association of University Professors
Teacher unions sue Trump over $400 million Columbia University research cuts
March 26, 2025 // The AFT has also sued Trump over his efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. Trump and AFT President Randi Weingarten have long clashed over the rule of unions in the education system, dating back to Trump's first presidency, when the two fought over return-to-class plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UConn professors’ union angers cops with letter defending student protesters
May 9, 2024 // “We need to keep in mind that there are countless ways for students, faculty, staff, and others in our community to exercise their constitutional right to free speech that do not violate University policy or practice,” Maric, D’Alleva, and Furst wrote. “The group assembled did not comply with requirements to reserve the space for their use, the University initially permitted them to remain. At the same time, content-neutral restrictions on time, place, and manner of expression enable a diverse community like ours to share the same space and enjoy equal rights.” “Given the importance of free speech and freedom of assembly in public space, we condemn the administration’s mobilization of the police,” the letter continued. “We urge the UConn administration not to pursue disciplinary action against peaceful protesters. It is the responsibility of the labor movement to be first line defenders of civil liberties, and we stand in solidarity with students and demand that the University of Connecticut honor their right to assemble and exercise free speech.” “The continued anti-police movement continues to result in low department morale, heavy officer employment turnover and a decrease in public servants filling the ranks, not only at UConn, but many other police agencies in Connecticut and across the country,” the CPFU wrote.
Rutgers Unions Sued Over Strike; Case Seeks National Impact
March 19, 2024 // The student’s lawyers are asking a judge to let the suit become a class action case that could pit 67,000 Rutgers students against the unions. The lawyers estimate the total damages at $150 million, and say they want the lawsuit to have national impact. “This case is simple and straightforward: 67,000 students were denied a week of the education they paid for because the unions chose to undertake a knowingly illegal strike,”
Ohio University officials won’t yet commit to remaining neutral on efforts to form a faculty union
March 15, 2024 // In his reply, the university’s senior associate general counsel, Michael Courtney, wrote that the university was not given enough information and was not provided with enough time to evaluate the requests. “In order to appropriately ensure all voices of the University faculty employees are heard, it is imperative for University leadership to seek and require proof of majority support,” Courtney wrote. In the meantime, Courtney wrote, “Ohio University will pledge that it will comply with regulations” in state law that govern the unionizing process. UAOU sent out a statement to members the day after Courtney’s letter was sent, in which the organization noted that while the university did not agree to UAOU’s requests, it did agree to follow the law.
Did AFT Actually Add 30,000 New Members This Past Year? Well, Not Really
October 18, 2023 // In 2023, the union added more than 11,500 retired members, accounting for almost two-fifths of the reported gain in total membership. It now has 471,582 retired members — 27.5% of its total. The other major event for AFT in the fiscal year was the affiliation of the American Association of University Professors. The AAUP has 44,000 members. Previously, about 20,000 AAUP members also belonged to AFT. Now, they all do, accounting for a further increase of 24,000 members to AFT’s total this year. Mergers and new affiliations with existing unions are a fun way to pump up raw membership totals, but they do nothing to increase the share of the overall workforce that is unionized.
Graduate Unions: Why Student Workers at University of California, Temple, More Are Striking
March 27, 2023 // HELU was founded in 2021 in an effort to fill those shoes. At a digital summit that July, members of 75 unions and labor organizations convened to draft a “vision platform” laying out everything from their legislative commitments (like Sen. Bernie Sanders’s College for All Act) to their support of student debt cancelation. The endgame is a unified academic labor movement capable of securing public investment and reorienting higher ed to “prioritize people and the common good over profit and prestige.” To date, 130 unions and affiliated groups representing over half a million workers have endorsed the platform. The first step in realizing this vision, says Jaime, who attended the 2021 summit, is to build union density. “Transforming academia is not going to happen in one single contract campaign. We have to organize workers in every single university in order to achieve real change,” he says.