Hundreds of UAW members and allies rally on Red Square to protest the GOP Tax Plan

On Wednesday, hundreds of UAW 4121 members and allies rallied in opposition to the GOP Tax Plan that would treat tuition waivers as taxable income. Following late-night deal-making on Thursday that swayed four additional Republican senators, the Senate’s version of the plan passed 51-49 early this morning. Now that both House and Senate versions have passed, those two bills must be reconciled — either through a conference committee made up of legislators from both bodies, or if the House simply passes the Senate’s version.

That means there’s still time to stop this, and it’s more important than ever that we remain vigilant in holding accountable our Congress Members in the House — in particular Dave Reichert (@davereichert), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (@cathymcmorris), Jaime Herrera Beutler (@HerreraBeutler), and Dan Newhouse (@repnewhouse), all of whom voted in favor of the House version of the plan earlier this month. The University President’s Office is joining us in opposing this measure, and your participation is making a difference in raising the profile of this problem!

If you haven’t already, please take a moment today to reach out to them, and join our social media storm by sharing a photo with a message of why untaxed tuition waivers are important to you. You can use this sign template or make one of your own, and be sure to use the hashtags #uaw4121 #GradTaxWalkOut and #GOPtaxplan so we can reshare and continue building attention on our message! If you would like to share your photos directly from UAW 4121 social media, you are welcome to email them to uaw4121@uaw4121.org and we will get them posted.

If you would like to get involved with ongoing efforts to oppose a tax on tuition waivers, please attend an organizing meeting next Tuesday 12/5 at 12:30 in Research Commons Red C to discuss next steps. You can RSVP for that meeting, or indicate general interest in getting involved, by filling out this short form.

In Solidarity,
Theresa Aliwarga
Douglas Avella-Castro
Dianne Baumann
Andrea Canini
Anthony Castanza
Monica Cortes Viharo
Kristen Garofali
Katya Kolesova
Dylan Mayer
Mandy McCourt
Kristin McCowan
Elizabeth Mills
David Parsons
Shua Sanchez
Maddie Smith
Sam Sumpter
Arash Tarkhan
Judy Twedt