UW General Assemblies

Last night, University of Washington students, staff, and community members held the first UW general assembly. This was a public meeting that created an alternative space for both discussion and decision making. The GA allows for democratic decision making, from the ground-up, about what affects us as student and workers at this public university. Last night, we discussed campaigns we'd like to see happen at UW, including a student debt strike, a boycott divestment sanctions campaign at UW against Israeli apartheid, and logistical details about how to proceed with future GAs.

Missed last night's GA? Minutes are posted on the UW GA website. Be sure to check out this positive coverage in UW Daily, which includes interviews with For a Democracy University Members Chris and Ariel! Note an error in the article: FADU is actually an interdisciplinary group rather than exclusive to the English department.

FADU hopes you will be able to join the second GA next week on Tuesday, January 17, at 5 pm in By George Cafe in the basement of Odegaard.

For a Democratic University

Fall 2011 Grading Party

At the end of each academic quarter, For a Democratic University initiates
a Grade-In at Suzzallo Espresso. Whether you have participated in the past
or not, join with other grad student workers from* 12PM - 5PM at Suzzallo
on Wednesday, December 14 and Thursday, December 15 *to grade, read, write,
work on research and to show your solidarity with other workers on campus.

Why do we do this? As workers at UW, our labor is our power. The
contributions we make alongside students, faculty and staff around us are
easily discredited and made invisible when we work alone, hunkered down and
isolated at our own desks. At the Grade-In, however, we engage a public
space and quietly demonstrate to those around us that there is a politics
at our workplace.

We will also be discussing possibilities for bringing Occupy to UW in
winter quarter.

Save the Date!

For a Democratic University, supporters, and students we met at Westlake during the October 11 student walkout to Occupy Seattle. Click the image to enlarge.

Save the dates for two of our upcoming FADU events! Our next happy hour will be December 6 at 5 pm at Big Time. Our quarterly grade-in was Wednesday and Thursday of finals week (December 14 and 15).

November Happy Hour

Hello supporters/colleagues of FaDU,

Thanks a lot to those of you who attended our Happy Hour last month at Solstice. It was good to share some reflections of the new school year potential projects in 2011-2012. October found many of us wrapped up in this wonderful, galvanizing Occupy Seattle movement, and we suspect this grabbed your attention, too.

Now we are ready to move forward on these UW writing center plans. We want to craft next steps and goals on the writing center campaign with you. We also want to see if you have you been able to do some research on how funding has changed at UW for the writing centers.

But whether or not you've done so, please join us Tuesday the 8th at Big Time (on the Ave), beginning at 5PM (this remains an all ages venue until 8PM). We know some classes are getting out just after 5PM, but you're welcome to come late. If you know that someone else is passionate about this issue, bring them, too. Come out, grab some pizza or frites to go with that pint glass, and help us plan some practical, radical politics!

In solidarity,

FaDU

Fall 2011 Happy Hour

For a Democracy University is holding our first happy hour of the school year on Thursday, October 6, at 4:30 at Cafe Solstice at 4116 University Way. Join us to talk about labor on campus, meet other grad students, and talk about what you'd like to see in a campaign for this school year. Cafe Solstice is all ages, and serves coffee/tea as well as beer/wine. Children are welcome.

Open Letter to UAW 4121 Regarding the Proposed Expiration Date

Below is the text of a letter FADU has sent to the UAW 4121 Executive Board. We want to share it with you in order to continue broad engagement with matters affecting graduate student workers. The letter calls on the EBoard to reply in writing to these concerns. We also plan to bring this issue to the UAW Membership Meeting on Tuesday (5/31 at 3:30 in Foege N130), and hope you will be able to attend with your own clarifying questions as we near the end of the quarter.
Please forgive cross postings as we share this document widely--and do join us in sharing this with all ASEs

------------------------------------------------


May 28, 2011


Open Letter to the UAW 4121 Executive Board/BargainingTeam

To the UAW 4121 Executive Board,

As the spring quarter draws to a close and bargaining with the University of Washington enters the fourth week after the April 30 contract expiration, we write with regards to the ongoing negotiations. While the bargaining updates of May 20th, May 6th, and May 4th all indicate ongoing conversations about two of the major issues on the table (fee waivers and health care coverage), a third bargaining item proposed in the update sent on April 30th has not been mentioned since: a one year contract “which would expire June 30, 2011” [sic]. We write with concern for the third item, to call attention to it and to elicit explanation from the Bargaining Team.

Our first question: is the proposed end date June 30, 2011 or June 30, 2012?

Assuming the latter, there are two concerns we call on the UAW Bargaining Team to address. The first is the decision to enter into a second one-year contract. Last year UAW Local 4121 concluded a three-year contract and the membership voted to ratify the one year contract we are now concluding. We, members of UAW 4121 and of FADU, reiterate our concern that another one-year contract will make us vulnerable to yet another year of possible takeaways and harsh cutbacks. How does this short-term contract provide protection to ASE workers and strengthen our union?

Our second concern is the proposed contract expiration date of June 30th. Such a late expiration date would move the bargaining process to a time when the majority of ASEs have concluded their contractual obligations for the year. With the majority of ASEs off-campus, neither leading sections and classes, nor grading papers, nor conducting research, our power to unite and fight as workers will be limited. Resources for visible and vocal support of UAW bargaining will be eliminated. The possibility of a strike will be removed. What benefits outweigh the destruction of our two greatest strengths: our voice and our labor?

A third question this issue raises is pertinent to both this year and next: what is the procedure for the contract ratification vote if negotiations proceed into the summer? The fourth contract extension has expired, a fifth has been established. With only one week and finals left in the quarter, we request information concerning how the E-Board proposes to present a contract to rank-and-file for ratification. What will the procedure be in future years if the June 30th expiration date is ratified? According to the UAW International Constitution, it is the responsibility of the Bargaining Team to present the proposed contract to the vote of Local Union Membership. The local bylaws prohibit regular membership meetings from June 16th through September 15th and also require the Bargaining Team to present the final contract to the membership for ratification (Article 19, Section 3). Though the Executive Board retains the power of highest authority between membership meetings, matters concerning the vital interests of the Local Union are subject to the approval of the membership (Article 7, Section 2). By what procedure does the UAW Executive Board propose to fulfill these obligations, present the contract to rank-and-file members for approval, and enter into negotiations with the full strength of membership available to support the process of bargaining for a fair contract?

We call on the UAW Executive Board to respond by email to the membership to address the concerns raised by what appears to be a minor change in dates, but is in fact a serious threat to the strength of our union.



In Solidarity,



For A Democratic University

UPDATE: AWDU victory after vote count resumes at UC!

After a contentious struggle to get every vote counted in the UAW elections at University of California, counting resumed on May 5th after the votes had been abandoned by the elections committee five days earlier. Voter turnout for this election was exponentially higher than previous years, and as predicted, the AWDU reform slate was proven victorious after the rest of the ballots were counted and certified!

From the AWDU blog:

"We are excited to announce that our votes have finally been counted and our reform slate has won nearly 60% of positions on our UAW 2865 union Joint Council! The 80-member Joint Council is the highest elected body of our union with representatives from every campus.

55% of voters also cast their ballots for our Academic Workers for a Democratic Union (AWDU) reform slate for the UAW 2865 Executive Board – electing our candidates to all 10 positions on the Board, including President. The Elections Committee has certified these election results as true and fair. You can see the full results here."

For more information about the election struggle and the UAW 2865 contract, visit AWDU's blog or click here.