Frequently Asked Questions

  • Everyone who works or has worked in higher education in Arizona can join the new United Campus Workers of Arizona, Local 7065.

    We want to build a a broad coalition of tenured, career-track, and contingent faculty; staff; graduate and undergraduate students; everyone whose work makes the university. This is why we chose United Campus Workers, a union that is committed to “wall-to-wall” organizing. 

  • We defend ourselves against pay cuts and lay-offs, health risks in the workplace, changes in the terms of our contracts, and the privatization of our university. We have fought against administrators who ignore our voices and harm our students, employees, and community. We build power and resources to sustain our movement for justice for higher education into the future.

  • A wall-to-wall union means all university employees, regardless of job title, unite to make our university a better place to work and to educate.

    We build unity on the issues we all share. We have caucuses for our major employee groups, like contingent faculty, different staff groups, and graduate student workers as a way to address our job-specific concerns. Together we will democratically decide how our future elected leadership will be structured in order to make sure everyone is represented.

  • Your Yearly Salary — Your Monthly Dues for 12 Months

    $0-$19,999 — $8.00 / month

    $20,000-$24,999   —  $11.00 / month

    $25,000-$29,000   —  $13.00 / month

    $30,000-$34,999   —  $16.00 / month

    $35,000-$54,999   —  $22.00 / month

    $55,000-$74,999   —  $31.00 / month

    $75,000-$94,999   —  $41.00 / month

    $95,000-$114,999 —  $50.00 / month

    $115,000+   —  $60.00 / month

  • Dues support the operational expenses of our organization including resources, training, communications, lobbying and legal services, and more. Dues pay for our organization. The more members we have, the stronger our union. Dues cannot be spent on candidates or direct electoral work; we have a separate political action fund (PAF) for that purpose.

  • It is. A “right to work state” simply means that people have a right to employment without having to join a labor organization. However, you do have the right to join a union if you so choose.

  • According to its policy, ABOR maintains that labor organization membership is part of employees’ rights and should not in any way impact their employment.

  • Not under the current state law; gaining the right to collectively bargain would require changing state law.

    That said, collective bargaining is only one tool in the labor movement toolbox. Many workers, like public workers in many places, farm workers, and others, organize without legal collective bargaining. How? Through a combination of organizing, mobilizing and community and political action (see the triangle above). Together, we build power to influence policies and how decisions are made within our university.

MYTH: Unions are illegal and I can be fired for joining.

FACT: No, unions are not illegal. Your right to belong and be active in a union or employees association is protected by state and federal law as well as the Arizona Board of Regents. It is illegal, however, to be fired for joining a union.

MYTH: I’m a professional. I don’t need a union. Unions are for factory workers.

FACT: Being a “professional” is no protection against being underpaid, overworked, or treated unfairly. In fact, professionals are sometimes the most overworked and underpaid. The current COVID crisis has illustrated this most clearly and the strategy of the institution is to place the burden of this crisis on employees through increasing work hours, decreasing benefits, and implementing austerity measures.  This fact has led tens of thousands of university employees across the country to form unions. It is why millions of nurses and doctors are in unions. Major League Baseball and other professional sports players, with some members making millions of dollars a year, have a union. Being in a union is not about the type of work you do or about a white/blue collar divide.

MYTHS About Unions

MYTH: There is no point in joining a union without collective bargaining.

FACT: While current state law states that employees in unions in AZ cannot collectively bargain, collective bargaining is only one tool in the labor movement toolbox. Many professional workers, like ER doctors and nurses, teachers, and others successfully organize through collective action without collective bargaining. Minority unions in many other states without collective bargaining rights have won pay raises, secured benefits, and successfully fought off austerity measures and privatization efforts.

MYTH: Unions cost too much to join.

FACT: Joining UCW-AZ means paying monthly dues based on your salary or income. For some that will be around $8 a month and for others more. Union dues stay within our local union and pay for training, resources, communication, lobbying, professional support staff and more. The cost of joining the union is a collective investment with direct benefits to you. We will lead the fight with collective action against austerity and for pay raises, more stable contracts and fairer benefits at ASU and UA.

MYTH: Unions aren’t effective anymore

FACT: Unions are democratic organizations of workers and are still the best way to have a voice in your organization and win economic security. Unions are still well-represented in Arizona and membership is growing according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The biggest union in the Public Employee sector is the Arizona Education Association (20, 000 members).. There are other smaller public employee unions for teachers, higher education employees, firefighters and other State employees.