Below find a recent history of some of the actions and campaigns UAW members have developed to fight for (and win!) structural improvements to equity and anti-harassment at UW:
- Postdoc Unionization: The Postdocs’ unionization campaign was built out of the needs for structural change for vulnerable and minoritized workers: women, international postdocs, parents, and more. Read some of these stories here.
- Hate Watch: The Hate Watch Working Group emerged in winter 2017 out of the aftermath of the 2016 Trump election, which resulted in a surge of far right and white supremacist propaganda and organizing in and around campus.
- International & Undocu Student/Scholar Rights: With Trump’s election also came a surge of attacks on international and undocumented students, scholars, and workers. UAW members took swift and ongoing action with our community to fight back, including by opposing Muslim Bans, fighting for sanctuary campuses/cities, hosting legal rights workshops, and more. In 2017, we initiated bargaining with university administration over these issues and won the elimination of the international student fee.
- Solidarity with Standing Rock: Check out our 2016 resolution in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
- Sexual Harassment and Assault: In 2016, members took action to against egregious cases of sexual assault and harassment in the School of Medicine.
- Microaggressions & Implicit Bias: Following our momentous win during 2014-15 bargaining of contractual protections against microaggressions, members established a microaggressions working group.
For more information about ongoing work to improve conditions for vulnerable and minoritized folks at UW, also check out our active working groups and campaigns.