Help send Tim to CGEU in NYC!
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Aloha, my name is Tim Zhu and I am an organizer with Academic Labor United, the organizing committee fighting for graduate worker rights at the University of Hawaii. I am fundraising to cover travel costs to CGEU (the Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions) in New York City, an annual meeting of North American graduate employees. This year, CGEU-2018: Raising the Stakes comes at a time of increased uncertainty, met with a new upsurge of militancy, in education-sector organizing across North America.
Earlier last year, I co-founded Academic Labor United with other graduate workers, building on several years of graduate union organizing. We came close to passing a bill at the state legislature that would have recognized our collective bargaining rights in Hawaii, but we were defeated by shady back room deals. This coming year we will be upgrading our organizing strategy, building rank-and-file power, becoming more militant, and making our demands impossible to ignore. As income and wealth inequality continues to skyrocket, public education continues to be dismantled by right-wing assaults, and our democracy continues to be assimilated under oligarchical control - building worker power is more crucial than ever, and the only way we get out of this mess.
Our journey ahead contains challenges. In the United States, the Trump-era Supreme Court means that the decision on Janus vs. AFSCME could decimate our public sector unions if we don't build power fast. And Trump's NLRB has also meant several academic unions have pulled their union petitions as part of a broader legal strategy—meaning rank-and-file strength is needed now more than ever.
I will be attending CGEU in NYC to learn organizing skills, build relationships with other unions, leaders, and organizers, and tell our story here in Hawaii. All money that is fundraised will go to covering travel costs.
I thank you sincerely for any help you can provide.
In solidarity,
Tim Zhu
Earlier last year, I co-founded Academic Labor United with other graduate workers, building on several years of graduate union organizing. We came close to passing a bill at the state legislature that would have recognized our collective bargaining rights in Hawaii, but we were defeated by shady back room deals. This coming year we will be upgrading our organizing strategy, building rank-and-file power, becoming more militant, and making our demands impossible to ignore. As income and wealth inequality continues to skyrocket, public education continues to be dismantled by right-wing assaults, and our democracy continues to be assimilated under oligarchical control - building worker power is more crucial than ever, and the only way we get out of this mess.
Our journey ahead contains challenges. In the United States, the Trump-era Supreme Court means that the decision on Janus vs. AFSCME could decimate our public sector unions if we don't build power fast. And Trump's NLRB has also meant several academic unions have pulled their union petitions as part of a broader legal strategy—meaning rank-and-file strength is needed now more than ever.
I will be attending CGEU in NYC to learn organizing skills, build relationships with other unions, leaders, and organizers, and tell our story here in Hawaii. All money that is fundraised will go to covering travel costs.
I thank you sincerely for any help you can provide.
In solidarity,
Tim Zhu
Organizer
Tim Zhu
Organizer
Honolulu, HI
