AFSCME 3800

Barriers to Access and Advancement - A Staff Perspective

Date:

Fri, 02/06/2015 - 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Cost:

Admission is Free

Join University of Minnesota workers, community members, students, and state legislators at a forum on the realities of working at the U of M. Hear first hand testimony on the barriers to staff advancement. Discuss how we can fight against increasing inequalities at the University and the need to create meaningful opportunities for undervalued frontline staff.

In September of 2014 University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler proclaimed the following to faculty and staff:

A respectful, inclusive, and welcoming campus is the ground on which a truly excellent and diverse institution flourishes. It is one of my top priorities to ensure we have a campus climate in which everyone is treated with civility and respect, and everyone experiences an environment that allows for success.

In numerous conversations in the workplace, frontline workers have voiced skepticism regarding the administration’s commitment to the success and respectful treatment for those of us who work behind the scenes to make this University function. The U’s unionized frontline workforce is among the most diverse of employee groups in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and age, yet many of our coworkers feel ignored and disrespected by the University administration and the Board of Regents.

UNIVERSITY UNIONS UNITED: Over the past several months, AFSCME and Teamsters, unions with a combined membership of 4,500 University workers, in conjunction with community and student groups, have united to advance the interests of frontline workers, their families, and the broader higher education community. Join us and bring your coworkers on Friday, February 6 for the inaugural forum of University Unions United.

Union Leave and Lost Time (union-paid time off) are available to AFSCME 3800 members who are unable to flex their schedule or use comp or vacation time to attend. Call Local President Cherrene Horazuk at 612-940-0660 or email her at cherrene@umn.edu for more info.