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Spring Endorsements: Judge Susan Crawford, Dr. Jill Underly, and Melissa Agard

April 1 Election

From the Supreme Court to the State Superintendent and local races we're ready to fight for candidates that fight for working Wisconites this spring. Join your union and learn how to engage today!

2025 Scholarship Applications OPEN

2025 Scholarship Applications OPEN!

Our 2025 Scholarship Applications are OPEN!
3 Scholarships available to children of members to continue higher education at University or Technical Colleges.

State-employed workers, such as graduate assistants like us, should be guaranteed the same rights as public safety workers. We contribute so much to our communities, and we deserve a voice on the job. Legal action to restore collective bargaining rights to all state employees is one way to secure the livelihood of working people in Wisconsin.

We're Taking On Act 10

Wisconsin public employees file lawsuit challenging constitutionality of law banning collective bargaining

State statute unconstitutionally violates workers’ freedom to negotiate, unlawfully creating a disfavored class of public sector employees, says a new lawsuit filed by workers.

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Join Your Union Today!

Join your union today!

UW System faculty, staff, graduate employees, and students rally for academic freedom

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Faculty, staff, graduate employees, and students from across the University of Wisconsin System gathered on Friday, February 5, to rally in defense of tenure, quality education, and academic freedom before the Board of Regents gathered to review draft policies on faculty tenure.  These policies, which have drawn concern from AFT-Wisconsin and AAUP higher education leaders, have the potential to undermine basic principles of academic freedom that allow faculty to teach and perform research in pursuit of truth, free from political interference.

Despite the freezing temperatures, energy at the

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AFT-Wisconsin/AAUP statement on proposed UW System tenure policies

As members of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents gathered to consider new tenure policies for the UW System, AFT-Wisconsin and the American Association of University Professors issued the following joint statement (PDF):

Since 2011, the governor and the legislature of the state of Wisconsin have been engaged in an attack on the University of Wisconsin System as a public good that exists for the benefit of all citizens of the state. This vision of higher education has shaped the UW System since the formulation of the Wisconsin Idea in 1904. The attack began with the assault on

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2016 AFT-Wisconsin Scholarship Applications Now Being Accepted

AFT-Wisconsin has a long tradition of offering educational scholarships to support dependents of members in good standing who wish to pursue a career in labor, education, health care or government service.  Currently, AFT-Wisconsin offers one $1,000 university scholarship and one $500 technical college scholarship. The application period for 2015-2016 scholarships is now open; applications are due to AFT-Wisconsin by March 15, 2016, and winners will be notified by May 1, 2016.  Please note: Letters of recommendation addressed to entities other than AFT-Wisconsin will not be considered.

Eligibil

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Sign the petition to defend the UW System!

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The status of the University of Wisconsin System as one of the world's premier public university systems is under threat.  As the UW System Board of Regents contemplates the end of meaningful academic freedom, AFT-Wisconsin members around the UW System - academic staff, faculty, graduate employees, university staff - are mobilizing to defend the quality of public higher education in Wisconsin.  Take a stand for UW System students - sign the petition today!

Photo: Phil Roeder, used under a Creative Commons license.

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High school and college labor history contests

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The Wisconsin Labor History Society sponsors two annual competitions for Wisconsin students.  Wisconsin high school students in grades 9-12 are invited to participate in an essay contest on the theme of the importance of unions to their families and communities, with cash prizes of up to $300.  College students (two- or four-year) and graduate students can participate in a research paper competition, with a $500 prize available at the college level and $1000 at the graduate level.

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Release: The Wisconsin Idea in Crisis

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Madison, WI: With Wisconsin at the center of a national debate over tenure, academic freedom, and funding for public higher education, members of the AFT-Wisconsin Higher Education Council announced a series of events to be held across the UW System in November examining the theme of “The Wisconsin Idea in Crisis.” “The Wisconsin Idea is a simple one,” said Richard Leson, a UW-Milwaukee associate professor of art history and the president of AFT local 3535, The Association of UW Professionals. “It’s the idea that the University of Wisconsin System should improve the lives of all Wisconsinites—through high quality education, research for the public good, and constant community outreach. As members of the AFT-Wisconsin Higher Education Council, my colleagues and I—academic and university staff, faculty, and graduate employees—are deeply troubled by efforts of radical politicians to weaken one of the preeminent public university systems in the world. That’s why we will be holding events on UW System campuses across the state—at Eau Claire, Stout, Madison, Green Bay, Stevens Point, and Milwaukee—to draw attention to the existential crisis that we in the UW System are confronting.”

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