AFT-Wisconsin | AFT Stateweb

Spring Endorsements: Judge Susan Crawford, Dr. Jill Underly, and Melissa Agard

April 1 Election

From the Supreme Court to the State Superintendent and local races we're ready to fight for candidates that fight for working Wisconites this spring. Join your union and learn how to engage today!

2025 Scholarship Applications OPEN!

Our 2025 Scholarship Applications are OPEN!
3 Scholarships available to children of members to continue higher education at University or Technical Colleges.

State-employed workers, such as graduate assistants like us, should be guaranteed the same rights as public safety workers. We contribute so much to our communities, and we deserve a voice on the job. Legal action to restore collective bargaining rights to all state employees is one way to secure the livelihood of working people in Wisconsin.

We're Taking On Act 10

Wisconsin public employees file lawsuit challenging constitutionality of law banning collective bargaining

State statute unconstitutionally violates workers’ freedom to negotiate, unlawfully creating a disfavored class of public sector employees, says a new lawsuit filed by workers.

UW-Superior Administration Knowingly Ignored Shared Governance Procedures in Program Suspensions and Warnings

Superior, WI – The University of Wisconsin Superior AFT Local #6514 has released emails, gained through an open records request, that give a detailed picture of UWS administration’s actions before and after the surprise suspensions of 24 programs on October 31, 2017. These actions set off a series of contentious forums, student protests, and formal expressions of disapproval by various stakeholders that continue to this day.

“We asked for this publicly-available information to investigate the possibility of filing a legal challenge,” said Deb Augsburger, UWS Local 6514 President. “Though we

UW-System President Ray Cross: Courting Republican Lawmakers is More Important than Students, Faculty, and Staff

Madison, WI – Faculty, students, and staff across the UW System are reacting to the recent news that the largest UW System reorganization in 40 years was an “open secret” at the Capitol. According to a report from Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), “Before faculty, staff and students learned about the plan to eliminate the two-year UW Colleges and UW-Extension, UW System President Ray Cross had discussed it with a lawmaker who called for similar action in 2015.” In a clear disregard for shared governance or the concerns of the UW community, President Cross spent weeks courting Republican

UW-Superior Faculty Cast Unprecedented Vote of “No Confidence” in Chancellor Wachter and UWS Administration after Program Suspensions Announcement

Superior, WI – The UW-Superior faculty have overwhelmingly voted “no confidence” in the UWS administration in response to the recent announcement to suspend and put on warning approximately one-third of all majors and minors at UWS. The vote was open to all faculty and took place from Wednesday-Friday this week. The vote, which read, “As a response to the October 31, 2017 administrative decisions to suspend majors/minors, I vote no confidence in the UW-Superior administration,” passed by a 59% margin.

“The faculty overwhelmingly rebuked the administration’s top-down decision on program

AFT-Wisconsin Endorses Patty Schachtner for Senate District 10

Madison, WI – The AFT-Wisconsin Committee on Political Education has endorsed Patty Schachtner for the special election in Senate District 10.

“We’re very excited about Patty’s run for Senate District 10,” said AFT-Wisconsin President Kim Kohlhaas. “During the endorsement process, it was clear that Patty was the only candidate that will fight for public education and be a champion for working families in her district and across Wisconsin. We strongly encourage all working people to support Patty Schachtner in this special election!”

Contact: Wren Keturi, keturi@aft-wisconsin.org

Douglas County Board Committee Unanimously Approves Resolution Calling for the Reversal of UW-Superior Program Suspensions and Warnings

Superior, WI – In a unanimous vote, a committee of the Douglas County Board of Supervisors voted to forward a resolution calling on UW Regents and Governor Walker to rescind program suspensions and warnings at UW-Superior. The resolution will be voted on by the entire Douglas County Board on the 21^st. This resolution comes as students and community members mount increasing pressure on the administration to reverse their October 31^st announcement to suspend 25 programs and put 15 others on warning.

Members of AFT Local 6514, the faculty and staff union at UW-Superior, attended the meeting and

PROGRAMMING CUTS AT UW-SUPERIOR ARE THE LATEST IN A STRING OF ATTACKS ON THE UW SYSTEM.

Superior, WI – On Halloween, faculty, staff, and students at the University of Wisconsin in Superior were blindsided by the administration’s blanket announcement to suspend nine majors, fifteen minors, and one masters program. Fifteen additional programs were put on “warning” for suspension. These program suspensions are the latest in a string of brazen attacks on public higher education in Wisconsin, and have sparked student protests and an online petition that has garnered more than 5,300 signatures.

In a series of forums and a public announcement, the UW-Superior administration justified