UFAS Updates

Connect, Learn, and Organize This Summer

As academic workers, for many of us summertime can yield time to change the pace of our work, such as attending conferences or delving into projects that we don’t have time for during the academic year. UFAS, too, changes its pace for the summer: we as a union have accomplished a lot this year and adapted resiliently; during a difficult and complicated academic year, we continued to fight for fair workplace policies and practices, always advocating for better.

We held over 125 Zoom meetings
We organized around a Moral Restart to campus reopening
We hosted a forum around layoffs in the Division of Continuing Studies
We hosted the Know Your Rights forum, with support from the School for Workers
Our COPE hosted a Budget Forum with state legislators, and impacted opinions
We phone-banked for important local and national elections
At least 34 new members joined

Our summertime schedule can give us the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and perhaps pursue those projects and ideas that we weren’t able to during the past nine months. There are two exciting opportunities for getting involved and staying connected with UFAS this summer:

In early May, the Academic Workers’ Rights Campaign launched! The focus this summer will be on gathering information on TTC (Title & Total Compensation), and the project will address many aspects of employment policies for Academic Staff and Faculty members.
The Equity & Diversity Committee is organizing a summer abolitionist book club, with the first selection being Mariame Kaba’s We Do This ‘Til We Free Us. For a free copy of the book, email ufas.edc@gmail.com. The first discussion is on June 1 from 5-6 p.m.—no need to read ahead of time!

We have done incredible work this past year, and we look forward to continuing to organize and connect with you this summer!

UFAS Elections

As May comes to a close, we welcome new Steering Committee officers and committee chairs! In officer positions, we have Katherine Charek Briggs and Jason Lee as Co-Presidents, Hannah Eldridge as Treasurer, and Emily Reynolds as Secretary. Clare Michaud will be the chair of the Equity & Diversity Committee and Anya Paretskaya will be the chair of the Compensation and Benefits Committee. We look forward to the service and leadership they will bring to UFAS this year.

Many thanks to Karl Broman, Chad Goldberg, and Charity Schmidt for their contributions to running this election. Union democracy depends on all members’ efforts: officers, committee chairs, and rank-and-file members alike.

UFAS Mutual Aid Fund

UFAS provides a mutual aid fund to its members to fight austerity politics with our own resources to support each other. UFAS members can request funds once per month, up to $300 per month. We cannot emphasize enough: you should not feel guilt, shame, or uncertainty about applying. The request form is here.

2021-22 SCFL Scholarships

SCFL awards scholarships, by lottery, drawing from amongst eligible applicants. The application deadline is Friday, June 25 and the winners will be drawn at the SCFL July Executive Board meeting. Forms can be downloaded here. The scholarship form can be emailed to Sharon@SCFL.org.

Donate to SCFL’s Labor Relief Fund

SCFL’s Labor Relief Fund will help workers who have been laid off, furloughed, or lost their jobs during the COVID-19 crisis. Checks can be made out to “Community Labor Working Together” or “CLWT”. Write “Labor Relief Fund” on the memo line and mail to: South Central Federation of Labor, 1602 S. Park St, #228, Madison, WI 53715. You can also donate online here.

Meet a Member: Jess Draws

Each month, we’ll be featuring a different UFAS member in this section, as a way to get to know each other, especially while we’re organizing virtually.

Tell us a bit about your involvement with UFAS and the labor movement.

I joined UFAS in early November 2019! I was looking for a way to get involved in justice-based organizations at my first salaried job post-graduation. When I told my mom I had joined, she told me my late grandfather would’ve been proud, as he was a union steward for Kimberly-Clark in Oshkosh in the ‘60s and ‘70s. My father was also a union steward at Oshkosh B’Gosh in the late ‘80s. Most, if not all of my work in UFAS is with the Equity & Diversity Committee and with Abolition UW. For me, the union is a great vehicle to pursue my personal and political goal of abolition of police and prisons. I’m also looking forward to the book club we’re hosting starting in early June, where we’ll be reading We Do This ‘Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba (sign up here!).

What do you do at UW-Madison?

I am located in the College of Engineering at the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS). I work on a SAMSHA-funded grant called the Opioid Response Network, which connects people combating the opioid crisis with resources, training, and education.

What’s something you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my other free time I organize with Disability Pride Madison! We are a disability justice organization that (pre-COVID) hosted an annual summer festival. One of the coolest things I helped put together in 2020 was our Black Disabled Virtual Showcase! I also make digital art over on Instagram @bumble.chub.

UFAS Event Calendar

Steering Committee Meeting: June 4, 4-5 p.m.

Equity & Diversity Committee Meetings: Every Tuesday, 5-6 p.m. For Zoom details, email ufas.edc@gmail.com. Current focus: education around police abolition.

Academic Workers’ Rights Campaign Meeting: June 9, 5:30-7 p.m. If you have questions about getting involved, email ufas223@gmail.com.

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