Our Statement on UNO's Transition to the LSU System

Last month, union members met to develop a set of guiding principles that reflect the concerns of workers. Many of these principles were informed by our October general membership meeting, where we discussed what we hoped to see during this transition. We drafted the following statement, which will be sent to the leaders overseeing the transition, including Kathy Johnson. We will also begin circulating these principles publicly as the first step in a broader campaign to apply pressure on the administration to uphold these ideals. In the coming months, we are seeking accountability and, above all, a commitment to preserving the best aspects of our university. If the administration fails to respond to our demands, we will escalate by building public support for our asks.

Please take a moment to read the following statement:

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE INCLUDES ZERO CURRENT FACULTY OR STAFF FROM UNO

ONCE AND FUTURE PRIVATEERS!

As the process of transition to LSU gains momentum, the UNO chapter of the United Campus Workers Southeast, CWA Local 3821, AFL-CIO, are calling for meaningful and sustained engagement with all UNO stakeholders. As the largest campus union, we have met with our members and worked to ensure that their perspectives and priorities are reflected in both the ongoing discussions and the practical planning work of the transition committees.

We are committed to the following guiding principles for the reestablishment of LSU New Orleans and ask the leaders of this transition to publicly affirm them.In the midst of this process, United Campus Workers (UCW) of UNO calls for the following:

• Maintaining UNO as a comprehensive public research university (with R2 classification) that provides affordable education and innovative research to the New Orleans and Gulf South community
• A commitment to involve students in determining any future increases to tuition/fees.
• Protecting academic freedom for all faculty and resisting censorship on campus.
• Structural independence–rather than becoming a satellite campus, the university will remain intact and will continue to offer degrees in liberal arts, sciences, and fine arts
• Ensuring a balance of voices on transition team and its working groups, including participation of faculty members on all academic subcommittees and frontline staff in essential student-serving departments (e.g., enrollment services, financial aid)
• No changes to healthcare insurance and other fringe benefits without including faculty and staff participation in reviewing and selecting alternatives.
• No public subsidies for private real estate projects without equal investment in the university's core teaching and research missions

We would love to hear from you if you have any comments or concerns. Please email us at [email protected] with any questions. And be on the lookout for more updates about how you can get involved here at UNO and with more organizing efforts happening in the city.

In Solidarity,

United Campus Workers of UNO