United Faculty and Academic Staff (AFT Local 223) represents faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We are a member-run union whose members include international postdocs, immigrants, people in mixed status families, and people from all walks of life. We are a social justice union, and fight for all our members’ rights, inside the workplace and out.
RESOLUTION TEXT
Whereas, UFAS will continue to represent all of its membership, regardless of the member’s race, citizenship or immigration status, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sexual orientation, or disability; and will not be impeded or intimidated from exercising its responsibilities;
Whereas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are kidnapping immigrants and other residents of the U.S., whether they have dissented with the administration or not, on the flimsiest of pretexts, with no regard for the law, how long they’ve lived in the U.S, how dependent their families are upon them, or the ties they have with their communities;
Whereas, federal immigration agents are waging a campaign against the fundamental human rights of immigrants who have been captured and detained without just cause, who have been severed from contact with their legal representation, and who have been disappeared without the due process to which they are entitled under the law;
Whereas, UFAS is committed to ensuring that our Union is a safe and welcoming place for all its members and their families regardless of their citizenship or immigration status;
Whereas, many cities such as Madison, WI, have declared themselves Sanctuary Cities, and universities such as Wesleyan University have declared themselves Sanctuary Campuses, where officials have vowed not to collaborate to volunteer the immigration status of their residents, workers, or students, or to cooperate with ICE;
Therefore, be it resolved that:
UFAS declares itself a “Sanctuary Union” that will protect the rights and safety of all of its members and their families, and will do everything within its power to ensure the safety and security of its members regardless of immigration status;
- We will not cooperate with ICE or local law enforcement in the prosecution or attempted deportation of UW-Madison students or staff for alleged immigration violations
- We will oppose UW-Madison administration assisting or facilitating ICE
- We will oppose the use of the knowledge generated at this University to aid and abet the deportation and detention machine
- We will advocate for, and work to collectively bargain for, strengthened workplace protections for immigrant and international members
- We will ensure that our members receive support when they need to attend a required meeting or a proceeding before a government agency
- We will continue to build alliances in the community with others engaged in similar work to protect communities and the undocumented, and participate in protests in response to ICE raids or employer collaboration for the sake of union-busting;
- We will support the continuation of DACA and of just immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship and does not include the militarization of our borders or the building of border walls
- We will not share any personal information from our members that may be used against them
- We will mobilize support for Sanctuary Unions, Sanctuary Cities, Sanctuary States, and Sanctuary Campuses
Be it further resolved:
UFAS stands in solidarity with all communities under attack. We understand that the time for unity is now, and that standing united with all workers, particularly the most vulnerable among us, is key to beating back attacks on our unions, our educational institutions, our communities, and our lives in the years to come.
United Faculty & Academic Staff 