This June Cristina Restad, Vice President for Membership & Organizing, and Emily Ford, President, attended the 2024 AAUP Biennial Meeting and Conference in Arlington, Virginia. Several important things were accomplished at this national meeting. First, we voted with a coalition of union reformists focused on union democracy and organizational transparency for officer and council seats. This included voting in a new President over the incumbent. See complete election results here.
- President: Todd Wolfson, Rutgers University
- Vice President: Rotua Lumbantobing, Connecticut State University
- Secretary-Treasurer: Danielle Aubert, Wayne State University
- At-Large Members of Council: Paul Davis, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and Chenjerai Kumanyika, New York University
We also were part of a coalition that voted in constitutional amendments and proposals that further our union work. First, we voted in a constitutional amendment that will make it easier for Academic Professionals and other professionals to serve nationally. These amendments allow release time or compensation for the work of elected leaders. Second, we voted in support of a proposal to Divest Pension Funds from Fossil Fuels and Reinvest in Renewable Energy. The proposal passed and AAUP will be putting this proposal into action.
We made numerous connections with other like-minded locals - University of Connecticut, University of Alaska, University of Rhode Island, AAUP Texas, and more! - who are concerned about the attacks on higher education and academic freedom and who are bargaining contracts amidst Administrative narratives about austerity. Finally, we supported AAUP National staff to advocate for reasonable workloads and lobbied AAUP leadership to fill vacant positions and shore up staffing so that AAUP National staff can better support locals like ours.