Organizing Update

University of Virginia

Workers at the University of Virginia are joining together to make their university a better place for workers and students. The United Campus Workers of Virginia-CWA have launched #ActFastUVA, to demand that UVA abandon its "hybrid remote option" learning model for Fall 2020 and cancel move-in for the majority of undergraduates due to safety concerns. They are united with other campus groups under three principles: Fight Austerity, Assure Safety, and Solidarity Together.

The UCW-CWA affiliated group, including UVA undergraduate and graduate student workers, faculty, and staff, formed over the summer as a direct result of growing dissatisfaction with the University's repeated sidelining of student and worker input when developing its pandemic response. "I think a lot about what UVA's actions would have been like at the start of the pandemic if we had a strong union presence representing workers' interests all across grounds," said Evan Brown, a member of the UCW-VA steering committee. "I want to help build that vision and stand together when confronted with future issues."