News

Union Members Meet with Tennessee’s Deputy Governor

Local President Tom Anderson, along with union leaders from Pellissippi State and MTSU and UCW staff met with the Governor’s staff on Thursday, May 17 in Nashville.

The meeting was positively received, as members discussed issues central to our program including higher education funding, the need for flat-dollar pay raises instead of narrow percentage-based raises, recognition, and the impacts of the Complete College Tennessee Act.

We shared copies of the Campus Workers Bill of Rights, and left the meeting with our intention to continue building this relationship.

Additionally, campus workers at Pellissippi State and ETSU have met with their institution heads, while UT Knoxville and Tennessee Tech members are gearing up their plans to do the same, again as an opportunity to discuss our core issues and build a relationship. If you would like to take part in these meetings, contact your Chapter/Caucus VP/Chair, your Organizer, and/or attend the next campus meeting. Check out your Chapter/Caucus's page on our website for meeting information.

Union Members Meet with Tennessee’s Deputy Governor

Survey of TN Adjunct & Contingent Working Conditions

Temporary and adjunct contracts are forcing many of our best teaching professionals to work in increasingly exploitative conditions. In the face of these conditions, UCW’s Contingent & Adjunct Caucus has been busy organizing a campaign to win justice on campuses across the state. The caucus has just launched a survey to collect data about Tennessee adjunct and contingent working conditions. If you are an adjunct or contingent faculty member, please fill out the survey! If not, please pass it along to colleagues who are.

Access the survey here, complete it and pass it along to colleagues if you haven't already. Post a flyer about it in your building! Let's collect as much data as we can! And be sure to check out our blog on these issues, Higher-Ed Hand Tennessee.

Survey of TN Adjunct & Contingent Working Conditions

Pay raise update!

After months of lobbying legislators, making phone calls, sending emails, and organizing public events from the Capitol Steps to campuses across the state, we now know that the new state budget includes a 2.5% raise for all higher education workers. We know that UT workers will again receive a minimum of at least $1,000. These are positive steps forward that have only happened through our work to win fair pay for all campus workers. But pushes for flat dollar raises, living wages and equal pay for equal work in higher education are ramping up.

We need your involvement in these efforts. Visit the union’s webpage and contact us today at [email protected] to find out how you can help! And spread the word on social media here!

Pay raise update!

Survey of Tennessee Adjunct and Contingent Working Conditions

Survey of Tennessee Adjunct and Contingent Working Conditions

Do you support flat dollar raises for campus workers?

FLAT DOLLAR RAISES
Percentage raises are unfair because they disproportionately benefit the people who already make the most. While the President would receive nearly $10,500, many secretaries, custodians, and teaching staff would get as little as $1000. Over 30% of Tennesseans working full time make less than the poverty line. In a time of unprecedented income inequality, we shouldn't be using our community tax dollars to make the rich richer while the poor get poorer. What we need is a flat dollar raise.

EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK
Knoxville was rated the third worst city in the US for working women, with a 38% wage gap between women and men's incomes. A 2005 study found that UT women faculty made only 75% of their male peers' salary. We know that many of UT's lowest paid positions are worked primarily by women. Percentage raises will only worsen the gendered wage gap. Flat dollar raises will start to close it, helping everyone who doesn't make enough to get by, while also overcoming unequal pay to women for their work.

UNITED CAMPUS WORKERS
www.ucw-cwa.org

Do you support flat dollar raises for campus workers?

General Assembly Passes Budget, Pay Raise

Last year, a minimum raise was provided by both systems, 2500 TBR workers who made less than $12.82 an hour received at least $750, and at UT, workers won increases in base pay to $8.50 and a flat minimum raise of $1000 for other employees, providing UT's lowest paid workers almost $2500 more a year.

These were important steps. It would be a shame for campus workers to see less than these minimum raises in 2012. With rising food and gas prices, and higher out-of-pocket insurance expenses, the cost of working for higher education is more than many UT and TBR workers can afford. All of us have the human right to earn at least a living wage.

United Campus Workers is urging all higher education employees to contact our system chiefs, and ask that they distribute this raise as an equal dollar amount. It is the decent thing to do.

Contact UT President DiPietro: HERE

Contact TBR Chancellor Morgan: HERE

General Assembly Passes Budget, Pay Raise