Dear colleagues,
Elections for the position of Vice-President, Treasurer, and Member-at-Large are underway, as well as a vote on passing an update to our union bylaws. You should have received an email this morning from Ballots@BallotsOnline. Voting will take place until April 29. See voting instructions, candidate statements, and the proposed revised bylaws here: https://www.aaupaft.org/2022-elections-and-bylaws
Two union social events next week!
1) Tuesday, April 26, 3-5 pm, join the Lecturers Steering Committee (LSC) for Study Break on Gullen Mall. There will be yoga, music, bocce ball, and cornhole games. Bring your own blanket and lawn chair. RSVP here.
2) Thursday, April 28, 4–7 pm, come to Tony V’s Tavern on Cass Ave for an end of semester AAUP-AFT pizza party. All AAUP-AFT academic staff and faculty are welcome. Come, and bring your colleagues! RSVP to office@aaupaft.org so we can get a headcount for food.
Donations for The W Food & Wardrobe
Our union is collecting donations to support The W Food & Wardrobe, which provides currently enrolled Wayne State students with supplemental food, gently used garments and additional resources they may need. A list of most needed items can be found here. Until Wednesday, April 20, drop off donations in Old Main in the Department of Music Main Office (1321 Old Main) or in the College of Education building on the fourth floor across from the elevators. Donations will also be collected at the LSC social study day on Gullen Mall on 4/26, and at the end of semester pizza party at Tony V’s on 4/28. In addition, our union has donated $1,000 directly to The W Food & Wardrobe.
Family Leave, Tenure Clock Extensions, and More
We would like to remind faculty across campus that you can discuss your options regarding family leave, caregiver support, tenure clock extensions, and other aspects of managing work/family/life circumstances with WSU GEARS FANs Faculty Family Advisors. These are faculty members in different colleges on campus who are trained to advise on these issues. They can offer advice as peers. More details can be found here.
Great Lakes Coffee Workers on Strike
The 20 workers at Great Lakes Coffee have been out on strike for weeks. Consider donating to their strike fund, and do not buy Great Lakes Coffee beans until their union is recognized. The baristas and cooks at Great Lakes worked throughout the pandemic and are now demanding PPE like masks, clear COVID protocols, a starting wage of at least $15 per hour and fair tip distribution, and anti-harassment and anti-discrimination protections. They’re seeking to join UNITE HERE Local 24, which represents several janitors at Wayne State. These workers are a part of the extended Wayne State union family via our Coalition of Unions. For more on the Great Lakes Coffee strike visit ComradesinCoffee.org.
Indiana University Graduate Workers on Strike
Our union has endorsed the Graduate Workers (IGWC-UE) at Indiana University who are facing incredible push back in working to organize at IU-Bloomington. Despite submitting nearly 1600 union cards asking for an election, their request was denied. Please support these incredibly hard-working students by contributing to their strike fund and following them on social media @IndianaGrads.
Technical note: We apologize if you tried to attend the April 8 General Membership meeting and could not get in! We accidentally had the attendance capped at 100. Please contact Mark Dilley for details on the meeting: mdilley@aaupaft.org.
In solidarity,
Danielle Aubert
