The United Campus Workers of Alabama and Friends of the Union will host “Blitz Week” this Monday through Thursday. The groups are pushing for people who work at the University to join the UCWAL union.
The groups are hosting events throughout the week to highlight their recruitment push and their “Living Wage Campaign.”
The Living Wages Campaign is an effort organized by both groups to promote changes in the University’s pay rates.
“We’re a wall-to-wall union, so that includes undergraduate and graduate student workers, faculty, and staff,” said Alex Pieschel, a UCWAL member. “UCWAL members will be asking their coworkers about their issues and talking to them about our union all week to build our base and strengthen the labor movement in the South.”
Monday will be the groups’ general assembly meeting at 6 p.m. in ten Hoor Hall.
The groups will also kick off a collective week of tabling outside of the Student Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.
On Wednesday, the group will host a poster-making social with the tentative location set as the Riverwalk at 6 p.m.
Activities will end on Thursday with the “Living Wages Rally, Higher Ed Fights” event.
The Living Wages Campaign will rally for “a flat $5000 cost of living adjustment raise for all workers at UA.” This would include salaried staff, hourly staff, faculty members and graduate student workers.
The groups are collectively calling for an increase of the minimum wage to $20. The official petition for the campaign states, “Over the past 4 years, U.S. inflation has risen by 20%; however, UA faculty and staff salaries have failed to reflect this change.”
The movement is also calling for things such as a minimum three-year contracts for full-time instructors, more summer assistantships and fellowships for graduate student workers, and a clear path to full-time for part-time instructors.
The full petition currently has over 800 signatures, with the goal of 1,600.
“Workers at UA need a living wage,” Pieschel said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to build the labor movement we need.”
