TOMORROW - Help stop the cuts and win the bargaining priorities a supermajority of members voted for by joining us for a practice picket at noon outside of the Vanport Building on Thursday, November 7th (1810 SW 5th Ave.)
- Note: A practice picket is not a strike but it is a powerful, community building way of showing the administration we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win the contract our students, colleagues, and Portland community deserve. See this practice picket how-to from Labor Notes and another from UAWD.
Colleagues,
The national news is grim. We probably share some feelings, and we are probably having individual feelings that no one else can possibly understand. You might have great concern for yourself, your family, your community, and of course all of our students at PSU.
Public higher education and organized labor have been under attack for years, and another Trump presidency will make our work as a union even more important to fight against the challenges to all of the work that we do at PSU--from protecting our queer and trans community; to protecting our students and minoritized populations; to protecting academic freedom for students, faculty, and staff; to ensuring that everyone in our community has their fundamental needs met.
Locally and regionally there are reasons to be optimistic. The county commissioner races, city council races, and the city of Portland mayoral race are looking positive in part because of the organizing of PSU-AAUP members. In the state, we’re uniquely positioned to organize for real reform and funding to win the public higher education system our communities deserve.
But what I know is that we take care of each other. Unions are about community care, mutual aid, uplifting those who need uplifted, and amplifying the voices of those not heard.
Today we have each other to mourn with. And there will be moments where we will need to continue to mourn in the future.
Tomorrow we have each other to stand side by side and make differences where we can. And our fight tomorrow is about making sure you and your coworkers at PSU are protected and cared for locally by getting a fair contract. Our fight tomorrow at noon is to let administration hear that they will not continue to slow roll the layoff protections, dignity, and respect we deserve. While 94 of our co-workers were given notice of layoff, and while a supermajority of our members support our fight for bilingual pay differentials, workload protections, COLAs, AP payscales, and more, we are still fighting for a fair contract. This after ninety hours at the bargaining table, and with a contract that expires in 14 business days.
On Thursday can I count on you to be outside of Vanport in your AAUP red?
After we settle a fair contract we will continue as PSU-AAUP to fight for our community, our students, our city, our region, and against the extremists who have been voted into national office. We are stronger as one.
In solidarity,
Emily
PSU-AAUP President |
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