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Solidarity Action and Information This page will list current labor-oriented actions, issues and events that we become aware of through other Unions, labor and progressive organizations, and other Local affiliates. Our strength depends in part on our active involvement in the struggles that affect our Local as well as other groups of workers in our community and beyond. Please contact the Local to learn more about participating in any of these action items or to help get other members involved. See the archive of recently past actions and events More Actions to Protest Cuts This week there will be more opportunities to speak out against cuts that are hurting our instruction, research and service work in higher education: Starting this week, the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) will be launching its new campaign, “Hands Off Our TAs! Protect ASEs, Protect Education”. SLAP is an undergraduate group working to hold the UW administration to higher standards in its treatment of its workers, thereby improving students’ quality of education. For more information, visit SLAP’s web site (http://students.washington.edu/uwslap/index.shtml). On Thursday,
March 4th, there will be a National Student Strike and Day
of Action in opposition to budget cuts, tuition increases and attacks
on state social services. A few weeks after the powerful rally of thousands
in Olympia on February 15th, Thursday’s actions promise to be
another visible statewide call for preserving access and quality in
higher education and for universities to invest in teaching, research,
and service. A rally will begin in the Quad at 1:00 p.m.
UAW 4121 members approved a
resolution in support of this action at the February 23rd membership
meeting. Members are encouraged to participate; we hope to see you there! Higher Ed Petition Delivered On Friday, February 5, 2010 we delivered to the Governor and State Legislature our petition with signatures from a supermajority of our union. Our message was simple: fund higher education, but don’t rely on regressive measures like tuition increases to do so. More than 2,700 names of our members were delivered alongside thousands of signatures collected statewide by the Washington Student Association and AFT Washington (the Union for Faculty at many colleges and universities around the state). This sent a strong message to our political leaders that funding for higher education is a critical component to helping us climb out of the economic downturn. Thank you to all who signed! On
Monday, February 15th (President’s Day), thousands
are coming together in Olympia to demand an end to cuts and a beginning
to investment in people by funding all state core services: Higher Ed,
K-12, Financial Aid, Basic Health, General Unemployment Assistance,
protecting our clean air and water, and resources for the elderly and
disabled. This will be a HUGE event, and as ASEs we need to be heard:
can you join us from 10:00 to 2:00? We’ll arrange your transportation
- just make sure you tell us
you're coming. On
Friday, February 19th, we’ll be holding a town
hall meeting on the UW, Seattle campus to discuss the need for the University
to do their part in maintaining quality in higher education (Gowen
201, 6:00 p.m.). More funding from Olympia is not the only
answer in mitigating the hardships faced by our members: UW administrators
must dedicate every available resource on achieving the University’s
core research, teaching and service missions, instead of serving on
corporate boards like Nike and Weyerhauser. Our members will be sharing
stories about how their jobs have been affected by the budget cuts –
even in areas where federal funding is on the rise – and we’ll
be talking about how to prepare for our upcoming contract bargaining
with the University. State Budget and Tuition When the University's budget was cut severely (26%) by the state Legislature for the 2009-11 biennium, hundreds of critical staff at UW -- including many ASEs -- were laid off or lost funding. It was also the first time the University began receiving more revenue from tuition than from the state. The University's move toward a "high tuition / high aid" model -- under which students are taxed at higher levels and financial aid is (hopefully) made available to offset tuition costs for lower-income families -- is cause for concern. In addition to depressing real earnings of ASEs and making it harder for grants to support research staff, this model has also been shown to restrict access to higher education and stifle diversity of the student body. Study Challenges High Tuition/High Aid Model (August 2009) In a new, comprehensive report by the Economic Opportunity Institute, the Washington State Legislature's decisions to divest in public education -- and attempt to raise funds through tuition increases -- are examined and critiqued. "High-Tuition / High-Aid" is rejected as a model of financing public education, on the grounds that it will lead to "a lack of access for low-income students, increased strain on the middle class, and a explosion of student loan debt." The study concludes that:
The complete text of the study (co-authored by UAW member Gabe Nishimura!) is available online. See the archive for previous updates about the state legislature and UAW 4121's efforts to keep tuition affordable. Help Save 50,000 Jobs in California! UAW members are taking action to save the jobs of thousands of UAW workers at the NUMMI auto plant in California. Please take a moment to add your name to a petition to help not only other UAW members but also nearly 50,000 workers that supply parts to the plant. To add your name, click here. Some
context Toyota has been buoyed by the success of the taxpayer financed “cash for clunkers” program. Toyota was the biggest beneficiary of the program with new Toyotas accounting for 19% of the cars purchased. In August, Toyota reported a year-over-year increase of 6.4% in U.S. sales. Toyota's August market share in the U.S. was up to 17.8%, according to Bloomberg, against 16.7% for all of last year. And yet, Toyota has decided that while California is a good place to sell fuel efficient cars (it is the nation's largest market for hybrids), it’s not a good place to make them. To add insult to injury, Toyota is demanding that the cash strapped California government pay $2 million in training fees. Toyota says taxpayers owe it the money for training NUMMI workers earlier this year—the same workers it plans to layoff in March! In these difficult economic times, preserving good jobs is essential. Please take a moment and add your name to a petition calling on Toyota Motor Corporation to reverse its plans to close the only union auto manufacturing plant on the West Coast. Please send a message to Toyota corporate today! Californians
and non-Californians alike are adding their names this petition.
Stand up for Health Care for All! Comprehensive health care reform that includes a strong public option would bring about change that Americans desperately need, making insurance available to those that don’t currently have it and making it better and more affordable to individuals who do. Members of our statewide coalition for health care, Washington CAN, have been turning out in droves to counter those who want to retain the status quo of our broken system, and are sending the strong message that we need health care reform for all now.
In June 2009, President Obama convened a meeting with key cabinet members and a bipartisan congressional group to discuss the passage of comprehensive immigration reform this year. This follows the announcement by Mayor Greg Nickles on Monday, June 1, 2009 -- with UAW 4121, One America, and other labor and community organizations present -- for this year's nationwide campaign for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Since this important issue will be on Congress’ agenda in the near future, our union has joined a coalition of progressive unions and other community groups who are committed to pushing comprehensive reform. Despite the fact that millions of documented and undocumented foreign workers – including many of our members who are international students – make significant contributions to our economy, many are cheated by an immigration system that keeps them apart from their families; impedes and delays their efforts to gain U.S. citizenship; and provides inadequate protections when employers engage in abusive practices. During the summer, UAW 4121 members have been mobilizing by contacting their Washington State Representatives to urge the passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform this year. UAW has helped make inroads into lessening the delays that international students and foreign scholars face when traveling in pursuit of their research (recently, the state department announced that it was taking action to minimize delays for foreign scholars traveling abroad). Still, multiple problems abound in our nation’s immigration system, and we’ll continue to work to ensure that a comprehensive solution is enacted. UAW has long fought for the rights of immigrant and guest workers, including international students who often have had to face unnecessary delays in obtaining visas to study at universities in the United States. Read more about the UAW national positions on immigrant and guest workers and international students' rights, as well as promoting better federal funding for scientific research in higher education. This document about the principles of comprehensive immigration reform by One America lays out the basic concepts that should guide CIR legislation. Take action! Tell Congress that comprehensive immigration reform must be considered this year. See the archive for previous updates on immigration reform.
Federal Funding for Research March 2009: The final version of the 2009 economic stimulus appropriations bill contains significant improvements for research funding; far more, in fact, than $13.3 billion allocated in the House version or the $17.8 billion in the Senate version of the bill. In a recent conference call with labor leaders across the state, Congressman Jay Inslee said that the research funding for science is one of the areas of overall stimulus that he and other Congressional leaders consider to have received an "A+". These major improvements have resulted from the seating of a new Congress with significant majorities who want to reverse years of Bush-era resistance to research funding, and from urging by organizations (including the UAW) to promote better funding structures. This move by Congress and the new administration will help economic recovery efforts by supporting innovations that improve our quality of life, supporting basic science that gives rise to future projects, and creating new jobs in Washington state and beyond. See the UAW National position on supporting better federal funding for scientific research. Click here to see a letter written in February 2009 on behalf of UAW Local 4121 to Washington's Congressional delegation, urging our Representatives and Senators to support increased research funding in the final version of the bill. See the archive for previous updates on federal research funding.
Labor Law Reform Pride at Work: Employee Free Choice and Employment Non-Discrimination Acts Recently at the Seattle Pride Parade (June 2009), UAW 4121 members marched with Pride at Work to support two important pieces of legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). ENDA is long-overdue legislation that grants protection from discrimination in the workplace to all employees, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. UAW 4121 fought for this bill in 2007 when it passed the House but failed to pass out of the Senate; this year President Obama has pledged to sign the bill if it passes both Houses. At Pride we also marched for this year's major labor law reform bill: the Employee Free Choice Act. This bill will protect workers' rights to organize and help forestall aggressive employer anti-union campaigns, which make it difficult for workers to successfully organize through a workplace election. Removing impediments to successful organizing helps further all workers struggles for workplace rights -- including LGBT workers -- as union contracts typically include stronger protections for LGBT workers than are provided by law. Take action here by sending a message to Congress to support these two critical pieces of legislation. Collective Bargaining for ASEs at Private Universities April 2009: The TRACBRA ("Teaching and Research Assistants Collective Bargaining Rights Act") has been re-introduced in the House by Rep. Miller and in the Senate by Senator Sherrod Brown. It would reverse the terrible decision by the President Bush-appointed-NLRB that held graduate teaching and research assistants at private universities are not employees within the meaning of the Act. The bill number in the House is H.R. 1461; in the Senate it is S. 813. The original bill was introduced on April 17, 2008 bySenator Ted Kennedy and Representative George Miller, the chairs of the Senate and House Labor Committees. This legislation would overturn the infamous decision in the Brown University case, and would restore the law to where it was prior by stating unequivocally that the term "employee" includes a student enrolled in an institution of higher education who is performing work for remuneration at the direction of the institution, regardless of whether the work relates to the student's course of study. As a result of this decision, administrators at private universities like New York University refused to bargain a successor contract with its ASE Union (GSOC/UAW Local 2110). Passing this legislation would thus effectively grant academic student employees at private universities the right to organize and bargain collectively. The UAW spearheaded the effort to get this legislation drafted and introduced. Original cosponsors of the legislation included Senators Clinton, Obama, Schumer, Brown and Feingold and Representatives Andrews, Tierney and Grijalva. We will post updates and possible action items as they develop. See the archive for previous updates on TRACBRA, ENDA and EFCA.
Below
are some previous posts on actions, issues and events in which Local
members have participated to support workers’ struggles in the
Seattle area and beyond: Health Care for All! *(October '09) Take Action today! Call your Representative and Senators Cantwell and Murray today! Urge them to pass health care reform that includes affordability provisions - especially a strong public option -- for lower income families. Also be sure to urge reform that is inclusive of all Americans, including immigrants, who currently are barred from receiving Medicare coverage for five years. Calling 877-264-4226 will allow you to connect to your Senators or Representative; just enter your zip code. National Call-In Days. On October 7th and 8th, hundreds of UAW members called Senators Murray and Cantwell, urging them to vote for health care reform that ensured affordability measures for lower and middle income workers, including a strong public option. End Racial Disparities in Health Care! UAW members are joining with activists from the labor, faith, and health care communities in front of Congressman Dave Reichert's office on Tuesday, August 25th at 10:00 a.m. to ask why the Congressman didn't vote in favor of a bill in the House that addresses health care disparities in communities of color. In July 2009, UAW signed on to a letter urging Congress to pass the Health Equity and Accountability Act. Read a report associated with the act here. Congressman Jim McDermott's Town Hall Meeting for the 7th Congressional District will be taking place on UW campus on Tuesday, September 1st at 7:00 p.m. in Meany Hall. UAW members will meet in front of Meany by 6:00 p.m. to help spread the word about supporting real health care reform now. Stand Up for Health Care! On Thursday, September 3rd, there will be a rally in support of health care reform at Westlake Center (410 Pine St) from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Come help send the message that you want affordable, high quality health care for all this year. Labor Day Rally for Health Care! For this year's annual Labor Day celebration (September 7th), union members across the state will be sending the message to Congress as they head back to Washington, D.C. that they need to pass reform this year. Join other affiliates of the Martin Luther King County Labor Council in Lower Woodland Park, Shelters 1, 2 & 3 (N 50th & Woodland Park Ave) from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. to help send the message, "Time to Get it Done!" If you are interested in writing a letter or getting involved in other ways with this effort, please contact the Local. See the archive for previous updates on health care reform. 2009 Ballot Measures Update: Initiative 1033 Rejected, Referendum 71 Approved! The November 3rd election results sent a clear message that Washingtonians value core public services like education and health care, and want to ensure that all families share fundamental rights and protections, regardless of their sexual orientation. Thank you to the dozens of UAW 4121 volunteers who helped contact ASEs as well as other union members in the community about these critical measures! Tim Eyman's latest Initiative could have devastating consequences for Washington State, and in particular the Legislature's ability to invest in higher education. I 1033 would take this year's budget (one of the worst in recent memory) and apply an arbitrary formula of inflation plus population growth to regulate how much could be spent in the future. Colorado voters approved a similar "TABOR" measure in 1992, then voted to overturn it after citizens were fed up with dealing with massive cuts to core services like education, health care, park maintenance, and the like. In Colorado per-student higher education funding dropped by 31%, and overall education funding dropped to 49th in the country. Let's not let history repeat here in Washington: vote NO on 1033 and ask your friends and family to do the same. Go to no1033.org for more information. During the 2009 session, the Washington State Legislature passed good legislation providing basic protections for gay and lesbian couples as well as domestic partners over age 62. The legislation included basic family-friendly provisions for domestic partners, like the right to visit partners in the hospital, to provide health insurance to family members, and to secure survivorship benefits (see the Approve R71 website for more information) . In order to protect the civil rights of Washingtonians, and ensure that state law continues to include rights and protections for all families, please vote to APPROVE Referendum 71. State Budget and Tuition: 2009 ASEs Urge President Emmert Not to Cut Jobs or Raise Tuition (March 2009) Almost 2,300 Academic Student Employees added their names to an open letter to President Emmert, urging him not to cut ASE jobs or increase tuition. The letter was delivered to him on March 19, 2009 and was also delivered to members of the Legislature, including the Governor. (April 09) Provost Wise Dedicates $10 Million Temporary Fund to Support Instructional Positions
January 21, 2010 Day of Action to Democratize UW and Fight Budget Cuts The
UW Student/Worker Coalition is marching to the UW Tower on Thursday,
January 21st at 1:00 p.m. to confront the Board of Regents, and show
a United Force against layoffs, tuition increase, speed-ups,
and privatization of the University. The rally will begin at
1:00 pm at 15th & Pacific, and will be followed
by a 2:00 march to the Board of Regents meeting. For more information,
conatct the UW Student/Worker Coalition: uwstudentworkercoalition@gmail.com November 20, 2009 [7:30 p.m. Kane Hall, UW Campus]: Papers, the Movie. Attend this screeing of a powerful new film about the challenges facing young undocumented immigrants turning 18. Discussion immediately following with Pramila Jayapal of One America; UW Asst. Prof. Roberto Gonzalez; Sergio Salinas from SEIU Local 6; Siovhan Sheridan-Ayala, immigration attorney; and Jorge Alonso Chehade, an undocumented graduate of the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. See the Papers website for more information and to purchase tickets. For more on UAW 4121 members' involvement in immigrant rights issues, click here. November 27-29, 2009 [Seattle, various locations]: 10th Year Anniversary of WTO Protests. This event recognizes the landmark Seattle protests of 1999, and aims at renewing our community's commitment to issues of global justice. The weekend event will feature various speakers and panels, including Amy Goodman, The Yes Men, and many others. See Seattle+10 for more information.
March for Health Care: Mothers Leading the Way *Update The May 30th March for Health Care for All was a huge success, and helped galvanize the movement in Washington state and nationally to push for a public health insurance plan. UAW Local 4121 members were out in force to support this important effort. Now that a bill is being debated in U.S. Congress, it's critical that our congressional delegation -- especially Senator Maria Cantwell -- hear from us in support of a strong public option for health care: one that's affordable, that provides quality coverage, and that's available to all (regardless of income or immigrant status). UAW Local 4121 is working with a statewide coalition, Washington CAN, to fight for this important legislation. On Saturday, May 30th, UAW 4121 will be joining with more than 150 other sponsoring organizations to march for quality, affordable health care for all. We'll be supporting the goal set by President Obama to achieve meaningful health care reform this year. UAW members
will meet in the local union office (4500 9th Ave NE) at 11:00 a.m. and then
carpool together to the event site (Pratt Park: 20th and Yesler). The march
will proceed to Westlake Park downtown. Please contact
us if you're planning to come so we can ensure that everyone has a ride and
a sign to carry! Provost Wise Dedicates $10 Million Temporary Fund Allocation to be used to support TAs, other instructor positions On April 29, 2009, Provost Wise committed a one-time temporary allocation of $10 million to mitigate the budget cuts. This is expected to be used primarily to support teaching assistants, lecturers, and other academic positions that had been funded by state dollars. In particular, departments with high numbers of student credit hours will benefit (see this spreadsheet for more information). This decision by the University is good news, and will help mitigate the impact of the budget cuts on many instructional Academic Student Employees. It demonstrates the University’s commitment to preserving instruction and its responsiveness to its constituencies that have been affected by the drop in state funds. As you’ll recall, nearly 2,300 UAW members put their names on an open letter to President Emmert, urging him to preserve jobs. Student groups on campus, and in particular the leadership of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, have also been working to gather information and urge the University to minimize the impacts of budget cuts and tuition increases on the student community. However, as the Provost points out, the $10 million allocation is only a temporary fix, and it won’t fix everything (certain tutoring and instructional support positions will not be re-hired in the near term). Long-term solutions are going to be necessary for the University to re-build its investments in teaching and research. Unfortunately, one solution that the University is strongly considering now is to rely on tuition to fund these investments. Under this model, students would be taxed at higher levels to pay for public higher education, and financial aid would (hopefully) be made available to offset tuition costs for lower-income families. The University’s interest in this ostensibly stems from declining state allocations. As President Emmert recently pointed out in his campus-wide email, this year will mark the first time that the University receives more revenue from tuition than from the state. This chilling fact does not bode well for ensuring access to higher education and building a diverse student-body and workforce. The other component of UW’s “high tuition/high aid” model is to ask that authority to set graduate and non-resident undergraduate tuition be removed from the elected state legislators and granted to the Board of Regents, which is unelected and ultimately unaccountable. This year we were able to move the Legislature to limit that authority to the next four years only, but surely the Regents will continue to fight to retain permanent control over this decision in future sessions – especially if state funding levels decline. UW Board of Regents Public Forum On Thursday, March 28th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., the Board of Regents will hold a public forum to hear input from campus about the University's annual budget, due to be voted on in June. This is an opportunity to make your voice heard about tuition increases, budget cuts, and other matters affecting ASEs and the campus community. Support Sweat-Free Labor! On Thursday, May 21, at 12:20 pm in the UW Quad, join UAW 4121 members in support of the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and Jobs with Justice (JWJ) in demanding that President Emmert hold NIKE and other producers of UW apparel to fair labor standards. This rally is part of SLAP’s year-long campaign to press the UW to ensure that workers who make UW apparel receive fair wages and better working conditions. Washington State Legislative Session: 2009 *Update (May 2009) The University of Washington's budget has been cut severely -- 26 % -- by the state Legislature for the next biennium. As President Emmert recently pointed out in his campus-wide email, this year will mark the first time that the University receives more revenue from tuition than from the state. This chilling fact does not bode well for ensuring access to higher education and building a diverse student-body and workforce. In response, the University seems to be moving toward a "high tuition / high aid" model, under which students would be taxed at higher levels to pay for public higher education, and financial aid would (hopefully) be made available to offset tuition costs for lower-income families. Evidence from other universities is that this model does not work, and does the opposite of increasing access. The other component of UW’s “high tuition/high aid” model is to ask that authority to set graduate and non-resident undergraduate tuition be removed from the elected state legislators and granted to the Board of Regents, which is unelected and ultimately unaccountable. This year through lobbying efforts we were able to move the Legislature to limit that authority to the next four years only, but surely the Regents will continue to fight to retain permanent control over this decision in future sessions – especially if state funding levels decline. The decline in state and University budgets could be mitigated in a more equitable way than taxing students and low/middle-income working families and allowing an unelected body to set tuition. A more stable and more equitable long-term solution is to include in the state’s revenue mix a fair high-earners income tax. Although no revenue package was passed out of the Legislature during this session, there is support from some prominent legislators for a fair, high-earners income tax. Regent Bill Gates, Sr. also has been one of the more prominent advocates for a high-earners income tax, and President Obama’s successful candidacy helped demonstrate that the American public is open to a policy of taxing higher incomes. We hope the University will take a strong stand in favor of a policy like this rather than advocating only for a student tuition/tax. --- (February 2009) UAW Local 4121 is standing with other unions and progressive organizations, including the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition, the Economic Opportunity Institute, and the Washington State Labor Council, in urging the Legislature to craft a budget that keeps intact education, health care, and other core programs that benefit all workers in the state. While the Legislature must raise revenue to increase funding for these services, it must not permit measures like high tuition (a de facto tax on students) to be seen as a permanent fund for core services. In a speech to union members in late February, State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown stated that the Legislature must not only enact cuts but also revenue measures to preserve our economy. The Tax Fairness Coalition’s website points out that the Governor and legislators have already taken steps to cut spending, but - like the federal government - need to take action to invest in jobs, education and health care. The website of the Economic Opportunity Institute also advocates for progressive changes to the state's tax structure, and echoes discussions by Senator Brown and other state leaders who are considering a high-incomes tax to ensure a more stable revenue stream for higher education. The common message of these progressive advocates is that fair revenue measures must be passed in order to ensure that core public systems -- like higher education -- don't have to rely more on lower-income constituencies (like students and working families) to support them.
Federal Research Funding In recent negotiations over the Federal Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act (February 2009), Congress has showed a commitment to supporting scientific research as part of a plan to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and help tackle our most pressing societal problems. This has resulted in significant increases to federal research funding: an estimated $13.3 billion in the House of Representatives' version of the Economic Recovery Act and another $6 billion for National Institutes of Health (NIH) alone in the Senate version. However, funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) is potentially threatened by a recent amendment in the Senate. Click here to see a letter written on behalf of the Local to Washington's Congressional delegation, urging our Representatives and Senators to support increased research funding in the final version of the bill. Victory for Fair Labor Standards: UW Cancels Russell Contract Earlier this month (February 2009), the UW terminated its apparel contract with Russell Corp., citing reports of ethics violations when Russell closed a factory in Honduras in response to workers exercising their right to unionize. We've mobilized in support of the efforts of the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) on this and other sweat-free organizing efforts against the University administration (see the archive below). Support Immigrants’ and Workers’ Rights On Friday May 1st, the Committee for Immigration Reform and Social Justice will hold their annual May Day march and rally. We’ll be marching with labor, religious, and other community organizations in a call for social justice, fairness, and health care for all workers, as well as progressive reform for immigrant workers and their families. Attendees will gather at 3:30 pm at St. Mary’s Church (611 20th Ave. S) for the rally; the march begins at 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the El Comite website (http://www.elcomitewa.org/mayeng.html). At the April 2009 membership meeting, Local 4121 members voted to join One America (formerly Hate Free Zone) as an affiliate member. This is one of the foremost Washington organizations advocating for immigrant rights, and recognizing the contributions made by immigrant workers -- including amademic workers -- to the local economy. One America will be working with other allies from labor, business and religious communities to fight for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level. See their website for more information. At the January 2008 membership meeting, Local 4121 members approved a contribution to Hate Free Zone for assisting them in their work to create a more friendly environment for undocumented workers in the state. Click here to see a letter from Hate Free Zone that we and other progressive organizations have signed thanking Governor Gregoire for her leadership in developing a statewide policy council for immigrant workers, as well as urging her to help make naturalization efforts easier in the state. Budget Cuts Forum Join members of the campus community on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.in Thomson Hall, room 101 for a discussion of the impact of proposed budget cuts on students and employees. The forum is being organized by the Anti Budget Cut Coalition, a group of students, faculty and UW community members committed to fighting budget cuts and tuition increases. MLK Day March for Economic Justice Local 4121 members will meet on Monday, January 19th, 2009 to march in celebration of the Obama Inauguration and in support of economic justice. We will be meeting in the Local office (4500 9th Ave NE) at 9:30 a.m. and then carpooling to the rally site (Garfield High School, 23rd and Jefferson) beginning at 11:00 a.m. See the MLK Celebration Committee website for more information. Rally to Support Sweat-Free Labor Please join us and other campus unions as we support the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) on Thursday, November 20, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. in Red Square to demand that the UW Board of Regents postpone finalizing its contract with NIKE until comprehensive revisions are made that ensure fair labor standards. Without these revisions, UW apparel will be made in sweatshops for the next ten years. Support Campus Workers: SEIU Local 925 On Friday, September 26, 2008 Local 925 workers will be staging a protest at the groundbreaking for PACCAR Hall, Foster School of Business, in the N3 parking lot between Denny and Balmer. Please arrive at noon to show solidarity for one of our other campus unions. Also on Friday at 5:30 p.m. SEIU will be holding an "elegant action" in front of the UW Donor Gala. This is a good opportunity to remind the administration that campus workers deserve to share in the gains of the University's most successful fund drive ever. Demsey Indoors, behind Hec Ed. On Thursday, September 18, UAW Local 4121 members joined SEIU 925 members for a rally in support of their negotiations with the University. SEIU 925, which represents classified staff at UW, is demanding pay raises that enable staff salaries to keep up with increases cost of living expenses in and around Seattle. The University has been resistant to these demands. More information about the rally and contract negotiations is available here. Please contact the Local about future events in support of classified workers on campus. We'll post information here as we become aware of it. Support Hotel Workers: UNITE-HERE Local 8 Boycott of Hilton/Doubletree Lifted On June 2, 2008 workers at the SeaTac Doubletree and Hilton Hotels overwhelmingly ratified a first contract, which included improved wages and benefits, immigrant rights protections, job security protections, and an agreement by management to abide by card check neutrality in future organizing drives. Workers at these hotels have been fighting for a new contract since July of 2007. In February of this year, after months without negotiations, workers had voted to enact a boycott on these two properties. On June 26th, Vancouver members ratified a first time contract and so the boycott was lifted. UAW Local 4121, along with other unions and community groups, engaged in a letter-writing campaign and support of the boycott, which brought management back to the table this summer. Please see the UNITE-HERE website for more information. Rally for a Strong Contract: WFSE/AFSCME Local 1488 (UW/Harborview) On Thursday, August 21, 2008, custodial, grounds maintance, supply and food service staff at UW as well as classified staff at Harborview MC will be holding a rally in support of their negotiations with the University. Please attend this important action to show solidarity for one of our sister unions on campus from 3:00 to 4:00 on Red Square. Pride Parade On Sunday, June 29th, 2008 we’ll march with other unions and allies in support of LGBTQ workers at the Annual Seattle Pride Parade, starting at 11:00 a.m. at 4th and Columbia downtown. Please attend to help celebrate our local Pride community, as well as continue the fight against the discrimination in the workplace.
Please join us and other union members for next week's International Workers' Day (May 1st, 2008) actions. At noon, a broad labor coalition will march and rally in Jack Perry Park (1729 Alaska Way S) to demand an end to the war in Iraq and support the ILWU, who voted to engage in a work stoppage in protest. At 4:00, we will participate in a march and rally with unions and other progressive organizations in support of immigrant workers' rights. This march begins in Judkins Park (2150 S. Norman St).
Join members of SEIU Local 6 and other allies on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. in Westlake Park (4th Ave and Pine St) in recognition of Justice for Janitors Day. This event also will be another opportunity to show solidarity for Local 6 as they move towards concluding their contract negotiations. Federal Research Funding At our June 2008 membership meeting, UAW Local 4121 passed a resolution urging Congress and the President to pass any bills that help reverse the stagnation of Federal funding for research that has resulted in declines in NIH and NSF budgets. Click here to see a letter written on behalf of the Local to Washington State's Representatives urging them to vote for a pending appropriations bill that includes funding for these critical agencies.
WFSE/AFSCME Local 1488, who represent custodial, grounds maintance, supply and food service staff at UW as well as classified staff at Harborview MC, are currently in negotiations with UW and Harborview management. Please attend their rally to demand livable wages, safe conditions and affordable health care on Red Square Tuesday, June 10, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
We have been helping ASEs from Washington State University in their efforts to secure collective bargaining rights. On March 27th, 2008 Governor Gregoire signed SHB 2963, which grants the same rights to collective bargaining as we've had here at the UW since our own bill passed in 2002. This was a major victory for ASEs at WSU, a strong majority of whom have already signed cards supporting the Union. ‘08 Legislative Session Success: Working Families Tax Credit SB 6809, which has also passed out of both Houses, makes a state-level tax credit available to workers who are eligible for the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit, as long as state funding is available. This bill could benefit more than 350,000 Washingtonians – including Academic Student Employees here at UW – who need help during tough economic times, and often are slighted in favor of tax credits for corporations and wealthy individuals. Passage of this bill has been hard-fought, and we’ve joined with many other progressive organizations throughout the state (especially the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition) in supporting it as a step towards a more fair tax structure in Washington. UPDATE: Success! This bill was signed into law by the Governor on April 1st, 2008. THANK YOU to all UAW members who wrote to the Governor in the week leading up to her making her decision. Clearly, hearing from a large constituency of progressive voices had an effect on her willingness to sign this bill. ‘08 Legislative Session Success: Childcare The Higher Education Childcare Bill (HB 2582), which has passed out of both Houses in the Legislature, provides matching funds from the State to substantially increase the resources available for student parents at UW and other state universities and colleges. We’ve joined the Washington Student Lobby in strongly supporting this bill, which appears to be headed for passage pending the Governor’s signature. UPDATE: Although the Governor did sign this bill, she vetoed the $1.1 million of childcare funding that had been appropriated by the Legislature. Oppose Korea Free Trade Agreement The Korea
Free Trade Agreement continues the approach by the Bush administration
to encourage trade without requiring that workers' rights and protections
be enforced by law. The agreement does not require Korea to abide by the
International Labor Organization's (ILO) set of core labor rights; it
does not prevent Korea from weakening its existing laws on worker rights
and protections; and it does not provide parity of enforcement between
labor and commercial provisions. Amend the Employment Non-Discrimination Act The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA, H.R.3685) in its current form provides protections against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, it fails to provide any protections against discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Tammy Baldwin, Democratic Representative from Wisconsin, is introducing an important amendment to H.R. 3865 that would add gender identity back into ENDA. This amendment will be voted on as early as Wednesday (October 23, 2007), so please call your congressional representative NOW! Transgender people, in particular, would be negatively affected by the passage of this bill without the inclusion of gender identity. A 2006 survey of transgender people conducted by the Transgender Law Center found that 57% reported being discriminated against in employment. The union has taken a strong stance against discrimination based on gender identity and expression – it’s time for Congress to do the same.
Help support the Student Labor Action Project's (SLAP) effort to compel the University of Washington to sign on to the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) -- a mechanism for ensuring that collegiate athletic apparel is not manufactured in sweatshops. While 30 other Universities have signed on to the DSP, the UW Administration still has not committed to do so. Come rally in the Quad at noon on Friday (April 27th, 2007) to help make UW apparel sweatshop-free. |