17 Sep Getting Involved with Your Union PT2 – Volunteers Needed!
- Our Union is Run by Faculty Like You: We have a variety of roles, committees, and working groups open to new participants. Members are at the core of all our efforts, so tell us via the link at the bottom of this email if you’re interested in more information!
- Membership Meeting: Our Fall Member Meeting will be on September 22nd, 3-4:30pm, via Zoom (you must be a member to attend). There will also be a social hour afterwards at 4:45pm with snacks and drinks on the lawn southeast of University Hall.
- Oct 1 Vaccine Deadline: UICUF continues to encourage all members to get vaccinated and disclose your status to the university for everyone’s safety. As a reminder, October 1 is the deadline to be vaccinated or secure an exemption to work on campus.
Dear Colleagues,
UIC United Faculty is run for and by our members, faculty like you, who volunteer in critical roles that keep our union strong and responsive to member needs. We want to remind everyone that union committees, working groups, and individual volunteers are working on your behalf throughout the year, and that means there are many ways for interested members to get involved. Here is a short list of ways you can join in and help make UIC an even better, safer place to work and learn:
Department Contacts: We always need union points-of-contact in each department, who are able to help us keep an ear to the ground on local issues, share important union initiatives with members (like our upcoming pre-bargaining survey), and help us recruit non-members into the union.
Communications and Social Media Gurus: We have several web and social media outlets, including our Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Slack, and we can always use help from digital media gurus to keep these sites updated and engaging to member and community interest.
Mutual Aid/FAST Fund: We have begun developing mutual aid resources, both for our members via a Mutual Aid Fund, and our students via the Faculty and Students Together (FAST) Fund. If you’re interested in mutual aid work administered through our union, this is the place for you.
Committee on Political Education (COPE): Member dues never pay for political campaigns. We know, however, just how important political engagement is to our members, and we have created an independent group and fund to support policies and candidates that support public higher education. You can contribute to the COPE fund here (starting at $1 a month) and you must be a contributor to be a voting committee member.
Shared Governance and Academic Freedom Committee: This committee advises our leadership on issues involving shared governance and academic freedom, and chooses the annual winner of the John Shuler Award, which goes to the department that exemplifies the greatest progress in these critical areas of academic life.
Bargaining Committee: We will be forming our Bargaining Committee after the member meeting next week, with a charge to prepare for contract negotiations in the spring. We not only need members willing to sit at the table with management, but also those who can do deep research on contract provisions as we prepare our proposals.
Solidarity,
UIC United Faculty
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We hold a regular office hour from 12-1pm Wednesday each week. Use the following link to add it to your calendar:
We issue regular updates via email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and on our website. We encourage everyone to like and follow us on social media. If you want to contribute your story, pictures, video, or other content related to the activities of the union, email us at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com. With your support, we are making UIC an even SAFER place to work and learn!