This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article Do the AFT member benefits extend to lifetime members - i.e., UH retirees who are UHPA members?  Yes, AFT does offer member benefits through its retiree chapter.   Feedback is Always Welcomed As always, we’re open to feedback from our members, so please don’t hesitate to email those suggestions to feedback@uhpa.org.

This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article Please identify and list AFT’s work and experience at the Hawaiʻi legislature and local politics AFT does not have direct experience nor performed any work with the Hawai’i legislature or with local politics and politicians because it has never had a presence or an affiliate in the State of Hawaiʻi. However, the AFT is no [...]

Why Affiliate?   UHPA has carried out its work effectively without affiliation since voting to disaffiliate with NEA. Defend the Attacks on Intellectualism Even before the Janus decision, it was clear policy makers and big employers across the United States were coming after unions and the ability of unions to organize.  Even though the Janus decision has not resulted in the death of unions, the attacks continue.  Interwoven throughout the anti-union attack is the attack against intellectualism, which ultra-conservatives correctly view as impediments [...]

(This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article) Yes AFT offers numerous exclusive member benefits. UHPA has offered a range of member benefits, and as an affiliate of AFT, UHPA will be able to offer more extensive and comprehensive member benefits to our membership. UHPA believes that this is especially important to meet the growing needs of our diverse membership base. Benefits for [...]

While a national union can offer great insights and expertise, shouldn’t we also look at building our own capacity at the local level? (This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article) Yes, building local capacity and ensuring there is a transfer of knowledge adds another dimension to affiliation.  AFT knows the importance of training for local unions and faculty members. AFT has conducted [...]

(This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article) While it's easy to see how affiliation will broaden our influence and strengthen our collective strength and voice as faculty, choosing an affiliation that will best represent UHPA requires due diligence. In the past, UHPA has disaffiliated from organizations such as the National Education Association (NEA) because they weren’t focused on higher education issues; didn’t [...]

(This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article) AFT’s Model Is Different This may be the case for some national unions, but in our exploration and examination of AFT, we found a different model.  In our in depth discussions with AFT, it was clear that their focus is creating and expanding the labor movement, not to support themselves, but the greater good of [...]

It’s a Good Time to Revisit Affiliation Since 2013, UHPA has been functioning as an independent union without a national affiliation. The UHPA board of directors voted to disaffiliate with the National Education Association (NEA) back in 2013 because it was the right thing to do at that time. Now 10 years later, the landscape is changing and perhaps it is a good time to revisit an affiliation with a national union. Affiliation with a larger, national union offers multiple benefits. However, [...]

This Q&A is part of a continuing series that we introduced with the “Taking a Hard Look at Our Future Starts with Asking the Hard Questions” article University faculty across the nation are facing an increasing number of threats to academic freedom and equitable treatment, yet at the same time, there has been a decline in dues-paying union members. This has put faculty in a precarious position. The intersection of these dangerous trends has caused forward-looking local unions to look at ways [...]