Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone who works in higher education in Kentucky can join the United Campus Workers of Kentucky, CWA Local 3821. That includes faculty, staff, and student workers. Students and community members can join as community supporters. 

We unite faculty, staff, and students wall-to-wall across Kentucky to build the strongest possible worker led organization. 

Not sure if you're eligible to join? Reach out to us at [email protected]

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

We build unity on the issues we all share. We have standing committees 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.

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.

Our dues are on a sliding scale, depending on your income. Below are the suggested dues based on income. 

• Part-time employees, graduate students/Undergraduates, and Community supporters  -- $8/month
• Minimum dues for full-time employees -- $15/month
• $30,000 - $50,000 annual gross -- $20/month
• $50,000 - $60,000 annual gross -- $25/month
• $60,000 - $100,000 annual gross -- $30/month
• More than $100,000 gross --  $50/month

Yes, in 2017, after Kentucky Republicans took a majority in Frankfort, their flagship bill—HB 1—made Kentucky a “right-to-work” (for less) state. 

In writing, right-to-work legislation means that employees are not required to join a union in order to be hired at - or not be fired from - their job. In practice, right-to-work legislation weakens the power of workers and collective bargaining. 

However, all workers in Kentucky have a right to organize on the job for a better workplace. United Campus Workers is part of a network of Higher education unions fighting for a better vision for higher education across the South. 

Gaining the right to collectively bargain (to have a contract with our higher ed institutions) would require significant worker leadership and resources to push administrators and our state government. This makes our union a "direct-join", "pre-majority" union, an important part of building the power to win legal rights. 

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. Together, we build power to influence policies and how decisions are made within our universities and higher ed institutions.

You can read more about pre-majority unionism here, or by clicking the button below.
 

It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against workers for exercising their rights to join and organize as a union. It is stated explicitly in Kentucky Revised Statute 336.130, that “Employees may, free from restraint or coercion by the employers or their agents, associate collectively for self-organization and designate collectively representatives of their own choosing to negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment to effectively promote their own rights and general welfare.” Moreover, as one big union for staff, faculty, graduate and undergraduate workers, we stand up for each other and would fight back if the administration attempted to retaliate against any one of us.

Our direct-join union consists of a Steering Committee elected by our members, standing committees and working groups responsible for managing specific roles and tasks within the organization, paid staff organizers, general members, and community supporters.

Members are encouraged to join committees whose work interests them! A staff organizer or member leader will reach out to you upon joining to talk about how to get involved.  

United Campus Workers are a series of locals in Kentucky, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin, all part of the CWA’s Public, Healthcare & Education Workers (PHEW) unit of more than 140,000+ public sector workers across the country. 

Yes, you can! Anyone interested in supporting our union who is not currently employed at a higher ed institution in Kentucky can join as a "non-voting community supporter". This way, you can support financially and stay involved with our internal organizing.

To join as a non-voting community supporter, navigate to UCWKentucky.org/join and select “Become a Community Supporter”

You can also make a one-time or recurring donation using this link or by clicking the button below.

Yes. All student employees, regardless of their immigration status or visa type, are protected in their right to join and organize as a union.

No. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cannot ask you questions about your union membership or participation in lawful union activity. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognized the importance of enforcing labor laws and signed an agreement with the Department of Labor (DOL) that states it is essential to ensure proper wages and working conditions for all covered workers regardless of immigration status. It is your right to belong to a union and being a union member cannot affect your current visa status or future visa application.