05 Jul Happy 4th (and 5th) of July From a UNITED FACULTY
Another Reason to Celebrate
Happy 4th (and 5th) of July from UIC’s United Faculty!
Many of you will have been out celebrating Independence Day with your friends and family yesterday, enjoying a well deserved holiday. We also want to remind you that today, the 5th of July, marks the 83rd anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act, which gave workers the *legal* right to form unions, bargain and strike.
This didn’t just happen because the powers that be were feeling generous after their patriotic revelries that day. Workers across the nation, and the organizations representing their interests, fought hard in their workplaces, in the streets, and in the halls of power, to bring this bill to FDR’s desk, and have him sign it.
And Another Reason to Join
Last week, the US Supreme Court made another historic decision, this time, stripping unions of the right to collect a fair share of fees from all workers benefiting directly from the services and representation their unions provide.
This means that today, if you wish to have a strong union, a representative voice in contract negotiations, and a credible defender of your rights in the workplace, you have to make a proactive decision. While we don’t agree with the outcome of the Janus decision last week, we can all agree on this: with or without fair share fees, our union’s true strength is our willingness to stand together and ACT together for our shared interests.
Fortunately, a week out from what was meant to be an historic blow to unions across the nation, we can say that our union remains strong. We’ve just begun bargaining a new contract, and our office has, in fact, been overwhelmed with both new membership applications, and current members reaffirming their solidarity with their colleagues.
You can add your voice to this chorus of faculty saying “I’m sticking with my union” by becoming a member today. Eligible UIC faculty (both Tenure Track and Non Tenure Track), contact us at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com to learn more and join our union!
As a reminder, our next bargaining session is next week, July 11th.
For the duration of the bargaining process, we will be issuing periodic updates via email, facebook, twitter, and here on our website. We strongly encourage everyone to like and follow us on social media. With your support, we can make UIC an even better place to work and learn!
