UCWAZ’s Statement on President Robbins’ Resignation

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024

Yesterday, President Robert C. Robbins announced he is stepping down as President of the University of Arizona at the end of his contract in 2026. Robbins’ announcement comes after years of mismanagement, including the purchase of Ashford University, a predatory and nearly bankrupt online institution; millions in loans to the Athletics department; a financial shortfall of more than $170 million; and campus safety failures resulting in the loss of a beloved colleague, Dr. Tom Meixner. 

President Robbins’ administration oversaw tumultuous financial times, including a depletion of cash reserves, financial cuts in university operations, employee layoffs, furloughs, a hiring freeze, a freeze on wage and salary increases, and a continuous rise in tuition and other educational costs for incoming students. While President Robbins will be leaving the institution, students, staff, and faculty are left to pay dearly for the price of his failed leadership.

We, the United Campus Workers of Arizona (UCWAZ), have led the call for Robbins’ resignation, and today, he has finally responded. We remain committed to working to solve the executive bloat, unchecked spending, and lack of transparency in the institution's financial matters. We implore the administration to commence the search for Robbins’ replacement immediately and demand Union representation within that process. 

UCWAZ will continue to fight and organize for a better public university, one that protects the learning and working conditions for all.

UA’s Union History

United Campus Workers of Arizona - CWA Local 7065 (UCWAZ) came about from the efforts of the Coalition for Academic Justice at the University of Arizona (CAJUA), a group of nearly 700 faculty, staff, and students concerned about social and economic justice at the university. In April of 2020, the UA President announced a draconian pay cut plan that mobilized CAJUA members to act, leading to several key achievements. 

The first achievement involved pushing the UA administration to revise its original furlough plan so that the lowest paid employees would not be impacted. With CAJUA’s activism, the furlough plan floor was changed to $44,500. The second big CAJUA victory happened with the calling of a General Assembly in June, 2020, something that had never happened before in UA history.

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, CAJUA members worked alongside public health experts to push UA administrators for transparency in COVID-19 reporting metrics and a clear, compassionate plan for reentry. CAJUA also held public protests, circulated letters, and developed an online reporting tool to allow UA employees to report COVID-19 related safety concerns.

In the early part of August, a CAJUA committee was formed to unionize campus workers. On Sept. 3rd, 2020, Labor Day the United Campus Workers Arizona Union was officially launched.

The UCW local Chapter 7065 exists because of the collective actions of CAJUA. The coalition knew that in order to build wall-to-wall support, centering the voices of all work employees, particularly those who are in more vulnerable positions, was critical. For many, CAJUA represented one of the first organizations within the university where diverse perspectives and backgrounds were utilized and appreciated.

It is with much gratitude and honor that we look back on our beginnings. And as we move our Union forward, we strive to embody the wall-to-wall foundation laid by CAJUA.

UA NEWS

April 4th, 2022

Resolution passed by UA faculty senate related to anti-CRT legislation:

WE, the elected members of the Faculty Senate at the University of Arizona, support legislation that prevents discrimination toward individuals and groups based on race or ethnicity.

However, WE, the Faculty Senate, do not support legislation that prohibits scholarship, instruction, and programs on the UArizona campus that explain, debate, and mitigate the causes and consequences of racial/ethnic discrimination.  

Therefore, in the service of academic freedom, the Faculty Senate opposes specific provisions in the "Stop Critical Race Theory and Racial Discrimination in Schools and Other Public Institutions Act" (HBC 2001) that prohibits scholarship, teaching and programs that address discrimination based on race or ethnicity, at the University of Arizona.

This organization is for you and we need you

  • Would you like to have job security, a growing campus budget that is invested in workers and students? 

  • Are you ready to have a collective voice on campus governance? 

  • Would you like to make a fair wage that supports your well being and receive yearly adjustments to the cost of living? 

  • Are you ready for all workers, including graduate students, to have access to all-inclusive care such as dental, vision, and gender-affirming care fully paid by the university?

  • Would you like to see a political shift in Arizona leading to a better and accessible future for Public Higher Ed? 

Join our wall-to-wall union of faculty, staff, and student employees, building our collective power to advance academic justice in fulfilling our universities' public missions.