Organizing Fellows

Do you believe in the power of your union?

Do you want to help spread the message to your colleagues?

Do you want to strengthen the union’s bargaining power in the future?

Apply to become an Organizing Fellow.

Fellows

  • Are trained to recruit members and discuss union matters.

  • Contact non-members and have conversations about the advantages of union membership and union strength

  • Build the membership in our union by recruiting new members.

Each fellow is expected to attend training, contact members weekly, and report on their efforts. The time commitment is approximately 100 hours across 12 months. Fellows are paid $2500 (total for year) in monthly installments.

All enthusiastic faculty and academic staff WAU members are highly encouraged to apply, especially members from the Schools of Medicine, Business, Engineering, and Nursing, and from STEM fields in CLAS.

We are looking for members who are open and willing to have conversations with colleagues throughout the university on matters related to organizing and Union membership. Further, we are looking for members who have ideally demonstrated willingness to engage meaningfully with colleagues outside of their own department. Examples of this may include (but are not limited to) conducting transdisciplinary research, collaborating on teaching across disciplines, and serving on school/college- or university-level committees.

Calls for application are circulated each spring. To apply, provide the following documents via email to office@aaupaft.org:

  • Your current professional record/annotated cv

  • A 1-2 page personal statement highlighting:

    • your personal interest in applying for this fellowship,

    • how any past experiences may have prepared you for this intensive union organizing fellowship,

    • examples you may have of successfully “networking” within your unit and/or outside of your department silo,

    • your commitment to spending approximately 100 hours across the year in this fellowship, consisting of training, having organizing conversations with colleagues across the university, documenting and reporting on the conversations, and meeting with other fellows, and,

    • what union membership means to you.