Yesterday’s Attacks // Membership meeting // ASE bargaining meeting // Accessibility at UW // & more!

Yesterday’s Attack on Democracy

Yesterday, we watched in horror as a mob of domestic terrorists violently stormed the U.S. Capitol and statehouses across the country, incited by Trump as well as by Republican Senators and Representatives who have recklessly spread misinformation about unsubstantiated voter fraud. While the attacks were shocking, these latest attempts to disrupt a peaceful transfer of power were unfortunately not surprising. Yesterday’s violence — met with little to no response by police, a stark contrast with police violence against BLM protests — is inextricably embedded in the ongoing legacies of white supremacy, police violence, and anti-Black racism in the United States.

A number of elected representatives have already begun to demand Trump’s immediate removal from office — whether through invoking the 25th Amendment or impeachment — as well as removal of other electeds who rejected the results of the election. Sign the petition to support these efforts here. While legal strategies can be important tools, as this week’s victories in Georgia Senate runoffs demonstrate, our most powerful tool is always deep organizing and building mass movements in coalition with other workers and community groups. This is work UAW 4121 members have been doing in this election cycle specifically, but also every day in ongoing member-to-member organizing to build a fighting union.

We will continue to keep you updated as this situation develops. If you experience safety concerns, please reach out right away to uaw4121@uaw4121.org for support. You can also find a number of safety resources here.

Membership Meeting Next Thurs 1/14

Our next membership meeting will be Thursday 1/14 from 5-6pm, and will be conducted via Zoom. More details about how you can join the Zoom meeting will follow in next week’s email and will be posted here. The proposed agenda for the meeting is as follows:

• Approve Agenda
• Approve Minutes
• Organizing
  • Election response
  • Postdoc bargaining
  • ASE bargaining
• Upcoming actions & events
• Adjourn

Any member who would like to propose additional agenda items or submit materials for the meeting is welcome to email uaw4121@uaw4121.org by 5pm on Wednesday, January 13. All members in good standing are encouraged to attend, and anyone who is not yet a member can sign up here beforehand.

Postdoc Bargaining

In our previous bargaining meeting with the UW administration, we discussed our bargaining proposals to improve Postdoc appointment security, wages, and training to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination. Our next Postdoc bargaining sessions are scheduled for January 13th, 20th, and 25th. Please email uaw4121@uaw4121.org if you would like to attend or learn more.

ASE Bargaining Demands Strategy Meeting Sat 1/9

What: ASE Bargaining Demands Strategy Meeting
When: Saturday 1/9, from 1-2pm
How to join: RSVP here!

Last month, a majority of all Academic Student Employees participated in the bargaining survey to help build a representative bargaining agenda for contract negotiations later this quarter. Now that the survey has closed, the results will be used to develop our initial bargaining demands, which will be open for membership ratification beginning next week.

In preparation for ratification of the initial bargaining demands, all UAW 4121 members are encouraged to join a strategy meeting on Saturday 1/9 from 1-2pm. We’ll discuss the results of the bargaining survey and a draft of the initial bargaining demands. This will also be an important opportunity to discuss and finalize organizing plans for generating strong membership participation in the next three weeks.

Kshama Solidarity Campaign Rally – Saturday 11AM!

Our union has continued to energetically build the Kshama Solidarity Campaign, with over 125 UAW 4121 members signing the labor solidarity petition last month! To fight the rising tide of the right wing—which was on full and awful display yesterday—we need powerful movements of working people, led by accountable and independent representatives like Kshama. Help keep Kshama in office and join us at this Saturday’s virtual Rally to Reject the Recall. Confirmed speakers include: Julia Salazar, an elected DSA member in the New York State Senate; Castille Hightower, a local police accountability activist whose brother Herbert Hightower Jr. was killed by Seattle Police; and Sharon Crowley, one of our union’s organizers!

Community Meeting on Accessibility at UW

What: Discuss challenges that ASEs who are disabled and/or chronically ill encounter
When: Friday January 22, 3-4:30pm
How to join: RSVP at http://tiny.cc/accessUAW4121

UAW 4121 is hosting an accessibility community meeting to discuss challenges that Academic Student Employees with disabilities encounter at UW as student workers. The primary goal for the meeting is to build a shared understanding of common challenges that ASEs encounter, based on the results from the bargaining survey and attendees’ experiences. We will also discuss ways in which our union contract can be enforced or expanded to ensure that ASEs’ access needs are being met. The meeting will center around ASEs with disabilities and ASEs who have unmet access needs and/or can benefit from enforcement around issues of access and accommodations. Please RSVP at http://tiny.cc/accessUAW4121 and share your thoughts even if you can’t make it to the meeting.

Now Hiring! Academic Student Employee EPIC Trainer

Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities is hiring a new graduate student Training Specialist! The Training Specialist is a 50% FTE Staff Assistant position (equivalent to a typical TA/RA position) open to UW graduate students.