About Us

What is UFAS?

United Faculty and Academic Staff (UFAS) is a labor union democratically organized to represent its members—faculty and academic staff at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (and formerly UW–Extension before it ceased to be a separate unit in 2017). UFAS is an independent affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (Local 223), AFL-CIO. We also maintain affiliation with the South Central Federation of Labor and the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Current Elected Leadership (2025–2026)

All leadership listed below make up the UFAS Steering Committee (see more on the Committees & Calendar page).

Context for UFAS

Unions are not as widespread as in some moments of American history, with roughly 10.8% of American workers currently in a union as opposed to 20% in 1984 (per this study cited by the Pew Research Center). And many of us remember the battle over Act 10 in Wisconsin, which decimated organized labor in the state (Wisconsin Public Radio has a helpful overview of what’s changed 10 years on).

Since Act 10, we in UFAS do not have the right to collectively bargain and our parent union, AFT-Wisconsin, shrank from 17,000 pre-Act 10 to 3000 in 2018 (see The Recent Evolution of Wisconsin Public Worker Unionism since Act 10).

What can our union do?

Many people associate union membership with a “service union” model: I have a problem at work, I go to my steward or my union representative, they take it up with higher-ups in the union who challenge management on my behalf, and I go about my business.

Operating in a context where the state legislature stripped faculty and academic staff of collective bargaining rights in 2011, UFAS works differently. We organize. The “organizing union” model works by engaging as many workers as possible, building power by educating workers about the rights we have and advocating for the rights we need. Standing together, we are speaking up to management and refusing to accept working conditions that we’re often told are “necessary” or “inevitable” due to political climate or budget cuts.

We’ve achieved several wins this way, including better pay for Faculty Assistants, assisting in putting a stop to the catastrophic 2020 UW System President search, by creating transparency around job titles and salaries in TTC, and by organizing for paid parental leave. At the same time, we’re a long way from the numbers and engagement we would need to be ready to demand change by withholding our labor (yes, that’s a strike). Despite that setback, we’ve still managed to accomplish so much.

What can members do?

• Find an area you’re passionate about to join our work, whether that’s equity and diversity on campus and in our union, worker compensation and benefits, learning how to guide folks through the grievance processes on campus, or helping others get to know about our union. (Or all of them!)
• Get involved in our state federation (AFT- Wisconsin, or learn more about the AFT or AFL-CIO, our umbrella organizations), whether through attending convention, trainings, or board meetings.
• If you’re interested in learning more about what organizing means and how it works, check out this blog post from the “Steward’s Corner” at Union Labor News: How to Think Like An Organizer.
• And please connect with us at a meeting, on Facebook, or on our Discord server– you can find them all via our Linktree here: https://linktr.ee/ufas.

How does UFAS work?

Leadership: The UFAS Steering Committee is the executive body of UFAS; it is composed of the elected officers (president or co-presidents, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer) and chairpersons of the standing committees. All Steering Committee members serve one-year terms starting June 1 of each year with elections held near the end of the spring semester, typically in April. Any UFAS member in good standing can run for any position. Committee chairs can also be appointed by the Steering Committee mid-term, but later must be confirmed by the membership. Any chair position may be a co-chair position if desired. Committees may also shift, so if there is a committee you’d like to run that isn’t currently active, we can help make it happen!

Meetings: Under the UFAS Bylaws, membership meetings are held regularly in the months of September, October, November, February, March, April, and May. Regular membership meetings are open to the public (though non-members cannot vote and need permission to address the meeting). We always invite everyone to mobilize with us regardless of membership status! See our Google Calendar for meeting times and Zoom links.

Decision-making: The latest revised edition of Robert’s Rules of Order is the union’s parliamentary authority in all cases to which it is applicable, unless it conflicts with the UFAS constitution or its bylaws or any special rules of order adopted by the membership. See more details in our UFAS Constitution (and more useful documents on the Resources page).

Committees: Check out our active committees and work groups on the Committees & Calendar page.

(Some) UFAS History & Mission

UFAS was established August 5, 1930, at the University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus by members of its faculty who felt that the integrity and quality of undergraduate and graduate education, and of the research which is essential to education, were seriously jeopardized by inaction on the part of the faculty with respect to University affairs, public and legislative affairs, conditions under which students live and work, and faculty compensation and other conditions under which the faculty work and teach.

It is the aim of this organization to defend and increase the role and effectiveness of the faculty and academic staff in shaping University policy and practices concerning these important aspects of the University’s purposes. This we hope to achieve through collective bargaining, and other appropriate means, building upon the concept of our vital and moral responsibility to work in concert to identify problems, not the least of which is the perpetuation of discrimination in the hiring, remuneration and promotion of minority group members and women. It is the further aim of this organization to devise, propose, and achieve implementation of the solution of these problems while protecting academic, civil, and personal freedoms of all persons in the University and society.

Very useful article about the early history of UFAS:
Influence without Bargaining: Unionization at the University of Wisconsin, 1930 – 1957