Declaration of Principles For

Collective Bargaining in Higher Education

We are higher education workers, joined by community members and elected officials, who believe that quality higher education and the right to collective bargaining are essential to building a more just, democratic and equal society.

We are particularly alarmed that access to affordable, quality higher education has diminished and that the right of workers in higher education to unionize and bargain collectively for a living wage has eroded.

We believe that

• All workers at institutions of higher education must have the right to organize and the right to bargain collectively.

• All higher education employers must remain neutral in unionization efforts and be prohibited from using tuition, tax dollars or research funds to fight unionization. Employees should be allowed to form unions through a simple and democratic majority verification card check process.

• Contracting and procurement by higher education institutions, both public and private, must adhere to human rights, prevailing wage and responsible contractor standards.

• Steady employment in higher education is a precondition to providing quality education and services and to guaranteeing a reasonable quality of life to academic employees.

We resolve to work together to achieve these principles to ensure quality higher education and the right to collective bargaining.

GESO/UNITE HERE!

Yale University Graduate

Employees

GET-UP/AFT

University of Pennsylvania

Graduate Employees

GEO/UAW Local 2322

University of Massachusetts

Graduate Employees

UAW Local 1596

UMass-Boston & Lowell Graduate Employees

UAW Local 2865

University of California

Graduate Employees

Graduate Assistants United/

United Faculty of Florida

University of Florida

MGAA/AFT Local 2169

Univ. of Wisconsin-

Milwaukee Graduate

Employees

GSEU/UAW

Columbia University

Graduate Employees

GEU/AFT

Michigan State University Graduate Employees

UAW Local 4121

University of Washington

Academic Student

Employees

Teaching Assistants

Association/AFT Local 3220

University of Wisconsin

CWA Local 1104

SUNY Graduate Employees

TUGSA/AFT Local 6290

Temple University Graduate

Employees

PSC/AFT Local 2334

CUNY Faculty and Staff

Graduate & Professional Students’ Committee of the AAUP

UAW Local 2110

New York University

Graduate Employees

Rutgers Council of AAUP

Chapters

Rutgers University Faculty

and Graduate Employees

GLU/CWA

University of Virginia Graduate Employees

Bruce Raynor

John Wilhelm

Co-Presidents, UNITE HERE!

Ron Gettelfinger

President, United Auto

Workers

Edward McElroy

President, American

Federation of Teachers

Morton Bahr

President, Communications Workers of America

John Sweeney

President, AFL-CIO