Some FAQs

Featured image: Milwaukee Journal, 1967 (Milwaukee Public Library).

What is a union?

A union is a group of co-workers who organize themselves for better working conditions at their workplace. In a union, co-workers have the power to improve their wages, contracts, and benefits at their workplace.

What is a wall-to-wall union? 

A wall-to-wall union is a union for all co-workers in a workplace. In a wall-to-wall union, different workers (like student, faculty, and staff) may have different contracts with an employer, but all co-workers are part of the same union. By coming together, taking coordinated action, and standing up for one another, we can win victories for ourselves and all of our co-workers on campus.

What is United Campus Workers? 

United Campus Workers (UCW) is a network of a dozen local unions in states across the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest. Local unions take on issues in the diverse contexts of their different campuses. Local unions are part of the federation of local unions at Communications Workers of America (CWA). CWA is one of America’s largest and most diverse unions. As a federation of local unions, CWA is a democratic union ruled by its members in their local unions.

How do I get involved?

• Join our email list
• Join a public meeting
• Share this statement with your co-workers to help spread the word
• Tell us a little about yourself and we'll be in touch with you
• We post private meetings over our email list
• We post public meetings on our homepage

Why should I join UCW-WI? 

UCW-WI organizes for fair wages, contracts, and benefits for undergraduate and graduate student workers, adjunct and non-tenure-track faculty, and university staff at Marquette University. When you join us, you are choosing to work together with your co-workers—which is always more powerful than doing so alone—to better our collective working conditions and lives on campus. We want to have a seat at the table and a direct say in the terms of our employment. If we work together, we can create a better, fairer, more just university for ourselves and our co-workers and students alike. We hope you'll consider joining us.

How much are dues in UCW-WI?

Being a wall-to-wall union where members receive different compensation, we ask members to pay dues at different rates depending on their compensation. If you make less than $20K/year, then your dues rate would be $7.25/month. If you make $50K-$60K/year, then your dues rate would be $26/month. Dues support organizing, technology, and legal services, for example.

Can UCW-WI win recognition and contracts?

In the past you may've heard a union can't win recognition and contracts at a private religious institution like Marquette University. Today the situation is different. UCW-WI can win recognition and collectively bargain for fair wages, contracts, and benefits on campus, like our co-workers who are covered by SEIU Local 1.

Isn’t Wisconsin a “right to work” state? 

Yes, but private-sector unions may win recognition at the NLRB and collectively bargain in the state, like our co-workers who are covered by SEIU Local 1.

Have other questions for us?

We'd love to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected].