From Mia McIver, UC-AFT
On February 17, 2024, HELU partnered with UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) to host an exciting roundtable conversation in Los Angeles. 50 participants joined in to discuss building coalitional power, politicizing our labor struggles, and expanding the labor movement in higher education. We were welcomed by Loretta Gaffney (Co-Chair of the UCLA chapter of UC-AFT Local 1474), Toby Higbie (Director of the IRLE and Chair of the UCLA Faculty Association), and Trevor Griffey (UC-AFT’s VP for Legislation).
Featured speakers included:
- Libertad Ayala (Political Director, AFSCME 3299)
- Alfredo Carlos (CFA Membership & Organizing Chair and Chapter Co-President, CSU Dominguez Hills)
- Catherine Hutchinson (CSUEU President, CSU Channel Islands)
- Arden Stern (member leader, ArtCenter College of Design Faculty Federation)
- Anna Weiss (GSWOC-UAW University of Southern California)
- Terry Wilson (CSUEU VP for Finance, CSU Fresno)
As they dug into their current campaigns and strategies, we learned about AFSCME 3299’s successful organizing with community partners to stop gentrification; 20,000 undergraduate student workers organizing with CSUEU; CFA members’ recent strike of all 23 Cal State campuses; and organizing to win a first contract in the private sector at ArtCenter and USC.
This event represented HELU’s unique ability to bring together unionists across different institutions and job classifications in order to build power and solidarity. Students, staff, and faculty from both public and private colleges and universities gathered together as workers first and foremost. The spirited conversation continued late into the evening at a happy hour co-sponsored by HELU, Rutgers AAUP-AFT, UAW 2865, UC-AFT Local 1474, and the UCLA Faculty Association. We departed feeling energized by comradeship and inspired to keep building our movement wall to wall and coast to coast.