Teaching Assistants Union at Western Michigan University (TAU 1729)

Teaching Assistants Union at Western Michigan University (TAU 1729) Teaching Assistants Union at Western Michigan University (TAU 1729)

The TAU at Western Michigan University serves as the voice of the teaching assistants employed in all departments campus wide. Foremost, TAU bargains for this body's contract that regulates the pay, working conditions, and rights of all teaching assistants. Additionally, TAU stands as a social organization to create solidarity amongst departments, stewards, and members while educating the university and surrounding community regarding union and labor needs.

Join our colleagues and chat with students today! Also, Bronco Bash is fun to begin with!
08/27/2024

Join our colleagues and chat with students today! Also, Bronco Bash is fun to begin with!

With the negotiation deadline on Friday, every hour matters, Western Michigan University folks! If you absolutely cannot make it to Bronco Bash, stop by Montague House and grab some fliers. We’ll give you suggestions about what to do with them. WMU’s president seems determined, not only to force employees into accepting an insulting compensation offer but to BRING A POWERHOUSE WMU UNION TO ITS KNEES. If they succeed, then what do they have planned next?!

We spent the morning with our WMU AAUP colleagues talking to students and families about administrative bloat and disinv...
08/24/2024

We spent the morning with our WMU AAUP colleagues talking to students and families about administrative bloat and disinvestment in the academic mission happening at Western Michigan University. A collection of our favorite responses from students after learning just how much President Montgomery makes while his team claims poverty at the table:

“Tell that guy to cashapp me some of that so I can afford my bills!”

“I would have guessed he’d make something like 75k, that’s a crazy amount of money”

“I’d like to make that kind of money for what he does”

“Well, we support you guys in fighting for fair pay”

As we kick off the semester, look for more ways to get involved to work as a campus wide community of labor partners to improve working and learning conditions at WMU!

TAU supports our faculty colleagues in their fight for pay that reflects their crucial role in our university community....
08/13/2024

TAU supports our faculty colleagues in their fight for pay that reflects their crucial role in our university community. After all, their (read: our) working conditions are student learning conditions

A negotiation update from WMU-AAUP president, Dr. Cathryn Bailey Later this morning, the WMU-AAUP negotiation team will present our proposal regarding faculty compensation to the WMU Administr…

Join us on Thursday to show support for our faculty colleagues!
06/11/2024

Join us on Thursday to show support for our faculty colleagues!

Calling all Members and Allies, stop by on Thursday to help send the message that Western Michigan University must start investing in its core mission again. Employee working conditions are student learning conditions!

TAU Members, check your email for an event happening next week! :)
11/14/2023

TAU Members, check your email for an event happening next week! :)

One of the the most important things we can do as a union is support our fellow union colleagues across campus fighting ...
09/29/2023

One of the the most important things we can do as a union is support our fellow union colleagues across campus fighting for better treatment and fair pay (the same fight we are in)!

Here’s an easy, 30 second way you can show solidarity today - sign the Professional Instructors Organization’s petition below to tell admin that our colleagues deserve to be compensated fairly, particularly on the heels of another (unearned) raise given to WMU’s President yesterday. FYI, that raise was more than we make in a whole year of teaching! 💰💰💰

Sign, Sign, Sign✏️:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-wmu-to-stop-paying-poverty-wages?fbclid=IwAR2wKSIaArOKFGlh7jUTEpeWidypumsmplmbxL2RdkbOxLOKxRJMoudRb1M_aem_AYTxm1np2yJ6X9yE-TddxtBqSo9NdAhfKNGBW86sNBomZAjz_IGep3O7Jw19n5YejUM

TAU President Thomas and his pro-union sidekick Basil (Member of Dog Local  #1728) came across these important signs on ...
09/23/2023

TAU President Thomas and his pro-union sidekick Basil (Member of Dog Local #1728) came across these important signs on campus that reminded them how WMU treats part-time faculty just as poorly as they do TAs!

Join us on Monday at University Roadhouse at 5:30 PM for a member meeting to talk important TAU issues and get an update on contract bargaining for our colleagues in the Professional Instructors Organization. Details in comments!

Join us next Monday!
09/19/2023

Join us next Monday!

We are incredibly grateful for our strong partnerships with organized labor across campus, today and everyday. On this L...
09/04/2023

We are incredibly grateful for our strong partnerships with organized labor across campus, today and everyday.

On this Labor Day, we celebrate those that have come before us to pave the way for us to continue the fight for better treatment and working conditions for all.

We’re proud of the work our members do each and every day to carry out the academic mission at WMU. Without them, our students would have far less opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

On this Labor Day weekend, the WMU-AAUP sends a special message of solidarity to colleagues across Western Michigan University: AFSCME, the PIO, TAU, the APA, POA, MSEA, and IATSE. WMU works because we do!

Over the past week we’ve been introducing our ’23-24 TAU Executive BoardPlease welcome back our president Thomas Fisher!...
06/23/2023

Over the past week we’ve been introducing our ’23-24 TAU Executive Board

Please welcome back our president Thomas Fisher!

“I am a 4th year doc student in the psychology department and am excited to begin serving my THIRD term as president of TAU. I look forward to continuing to build on the progress our union has made over the past several years. In my free time I like spending my time exploring, adventuring to new breweries and distilleries, and taking good afternoon naps.

I’m excited to get to work with all of our awesome TAs across campus as we continue to build power as a union! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns over the course of the year!

In Solidarity,
Thomas”

Over this week we’ve been introducing our ‘23-‘24 executive board!Please say hello to our new Communications Officer Jam...
06/22/2023

Over this week we’ve been introducing our ‘23-‘24 executive board!

Please say hello to our new Communications Officer Jamie Bollweg:

“Hi! I'm Jamie. I will be starting my final year in my English MA here at WMU this fall. I am excited to put my passion for teachers' rights into action as Communications Officer for TAU. When I'm not grading papers, reading literary theory, or playing Tears of the Kingdom, I enjoy making ambient music under the name Blank Verse. I'm looking forward to another exciting school year, and can't wait to represent our talented teaching assistants.”

Over the next week we will be formally introducing you to our '23-'24 TAU Executive Board! Please welcome back TAU's for...
06/21/2023

Over the next week we will be formally introducing you to our '23-'24 TAU Executive Board!

Please welcome back TAU's former Treasurer Hayley Brown!

"Hello! My name is Hayley. I’m a PhD student in the psychology department. I'm thrilled to start as your new Vice President of Organizing for TAU. It's an honor to take on this crucial role, where I will be dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of our amazing teaching assistants.

When I’m not working I enjoy yoga, sci-fi, trivia, crafting, and soaking up all the sun I possibly can in Michigan. I can't wait to work together with all of you to shape a brighter future for all TAs at WMU!"

Over the next week we will be formally introducing you to our '23-'24 TAU Executive Board! Starting with today! Please g...
06/20/2023

Over the next week we will be formally introducing you to our '23-'24 TAU Executive Board!

Starting with today! Please give a warm welcome to TAU's Vice President of Contract Enforcement, Abolaji Adewale Obileye:

"My name is Abolaji Adewale Obileye, I'm a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and the current Vice President of TAU. I am passionate about working with the TAU to build a strong and fair relationship between us and the university we work with.

Outside this terrain, I love every work of creative arts - writings, drawings, music, paintings, photography... Please take a trip to my website www.obileyeabolaji.com to learn more about me. See you there!"

Sun is shining and the to do list is popping! Can’t wait to spend the afternoon with WMU AAUP to discuss our shared conc...
04/14/2023

Sun is shining and the to do list is popping!

Can’t wait to spend the afternoon with WMU AAUP to discuss our shared concerns and to continue to strengthen our alliance and vision to make Western Michigan University the best it can be.

Then we’ll send solidarity vibes all the way to Ann Arbor to our friends in GEO as they hold the line and fight for a contract that makes University of Michigan respect the value they add to their community and pay grads a living wage (sound like a familiar struggle??) 🤔

Perfect way to wind down the semester 😎

Before we bargained our current contract, members weighed in on their top concerns about working and learning conditions...
04/11/2023

Before we bargained our current contract, members weighed in on their top concerns about working and learning conditions at Western Michigan University.

Just behind the demand to earn a living wage, was the concern that WMU no longer feels like a community where TAs and their labor are respected and valued as a critical part of the academic mission.

Morale across campus remains low as WMU’s administrators continue to remain out of touch with our concerns and unwilling to flexibly adapt to the needs of our campus.

See what our colleagues in WMU AAUP are saying too.

A message from WMU-AAUP President Cathryn Bailey and Vice President Whitney DeCamp It has now been sixteen months since the Board-appointed faculty at Western Michigan University overwhelmingly vot…

Western consistently talks about there being no money to be had, slashing funding for TAs and crying financial emergency...
04/06/2023

Western consistently talks about there being no money to be had, slashing funding for TAs and crying financial emergency. At the same time, they lawyer up at every turn, recently having paid an anti-labor lawyer more for two hours of work than TAs make in two weeks.

TAs, faculty members, and part-time instructors are not WMU’s enemies to be crushed with legal power. It’s time Western stops acting like we are.

A message from WMU-AAUP President Cathryn Bailey and WMU-AAUP Vice President Whitney DeCamp There is nothing new or especially problematic about universities calling upon legal experts, especially …

Our friends and colleagues in Graduate Employees' Organization 3550 at UMich remain on strike this morning for the secon...
03/30/2023

Our friends and colleagues in Graduate Employees' Organization 3550 at UMich remain on strike this morning for the second day in a row.

TAU stands in solidarity in demanding a living wage for the graduate employees that make the University of Michigan run! The current proposal from administration is disrespectful, unfair, and fails to recognize the value graduate student workers bring to the table.

Can’t make it out to join the picket line? You can support from afar!

✍️ Sign their open letter here: http://bit.ly/SupportGEO

💰Donate to their strike fund: http://givebutter.com/GEOStrikeFund

Address

814 S Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI
49008

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