Rasoul is a god damn state hero & I'll die on that hill. Mealymouthed centrists pandering to genocide supporters will only get us further down the road to total fascist takeover.

I stand w/ @samrasoul.bsky.social! Not only because he has a track record of standing with us, not only because of his willingness to fight powerful moneyed interests, but also because Sam is right to call attention to genocide. The moral bankruptcy of focusing on semantics should be self evident.

This month marks my 3 year anniversary as a union president and more importantly, my 5 year anniversary as a union member. I am very proud, and a little terrified about how much we still have left to do. Here are five things I learned in five years:

Happy Pride!

A conservative movement wants to remake higher education - to scrap traditional university shared governance in way of more powerful boards and executives. They say it’ll foster intellectual diversity. Educators warn academic freedom is at stake. www.pilotonline.com/2025/04/29/v...

CWA members and retirees in District 2-13 are lending a helping hand to those in need by preparing and distributing toiletry/hygiene kits!

Congress is reviewing a budget reconciliation bill that would be history’s most dangerous higher ed bill. This bill, if passed, will bar working-class families from attending higher education. We need to stop it from passing. @debtcollective.bsky.social higheredlaborunited.org/2025/05/01/d...

Happy May Day! If you work in higher education in Virginia, you can celebrate today by joining your union: ucwva.org/join-us

May Day is right around the corner! This year, workers across the country are organizing events to uplift the labor movement in the face of federal attacks on labor. You can learn more about each event and how you can get involved at tinyurl.com/May-Day-2025, or at the link in bio.

extremely grateful that @katrinacallsen.com and @creighdeeds.bsky.social are pursuing this! courthouse abductions are unconscionable, a clear red line. 🫡

The ableism that RFK Jr. spreads may lead to more parents being horrible to their disabled kids. A "leader" spreading harmful rhetoric may influence parents.

Huge congratulations to the Protect Utah Workers Coalition on collecting over 320,000 signatures (well beyond the required 140,748) to repeal Utah’s draconian anti union HB.267. Solidarity! 💪🏔️

@harryszabo.bsky.social is right: The truth is the Trump administration is not conservative, they are anti-democratic & the only thing capable of beating them is a powerful movement for democratization. Campus workers have been on the front lines of these attacks. Pass Collective Bargaining NOW!

No educator should fear for their safety while teaching. Let alone without healthcare, @harryszabo.bsky.social said it best, no one benefits more from dignified working conditions than our students. It’s long overdue VA pass Collective Bargaining and protect both our educators and their students.

Tax the rich.

As the White House targets DEI programs, baseball holds its annual recognition of Jackie Robinson — the man who broke the sport’s color barrier. “Jackie Robinson transcends any debate that’s going on in today’s society about issues surrounding DEI,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said.

At city council protesting the violation of the Richmond Education Association’s collective bargaining agreement. If they can violate theirs then theycan violate ours! #campusworkers4democracy

Solidarity with @sn-media-guild.bsky.social!!

#booksky 📚 💙 #bookmemes #readingispolitical

Today higher ed workers, students, and communities are standing up to demand our elected leaders Kill The Cuts! Federal funding is critical for research and education that benefits us all. Here's a thread of action photos! Starting with this rally currently happening in LA:

Today, I joined Spanberger, as she announced support for collective bargaining rights in Virginia. “The only thing capable of defeating Trump is a movement for democratization. We will all benefit when campus workers have a democratic voice through collective bargaining.” #campusworkers4democracy

Since the March 8 abduction of Mahmod Khalil from the Columbia University campus for his activism and speech, the Trump Administration has seized at least seven additional international graduate students and scholars across the country. cwa-union.org/news/release...

TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 8, a coalition of educators, workers and labor unions across the country are coming together for #KillTheCuts, a National Day of Action to raise awareness and put pressure on elected representatives to fight back against Trump’s attacks on research, healthcare, & higher ed

‘The threat is real’: Fmr. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Trump’s threats to cut public school funding soon over DEI policies www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcNp...

I'm grateful that this is happening and hope folks are able to support it!

TOMORROW: Join other CWA members and retirees on April 5 to say Hands Off Our Unions! You can find an event in your area by visiting www.mobilize.us/handsoff.

Today I taught my students about democratic participation by having them make demands as though I were a public official and modeling different responses along Arnstein's Ladder (linked below). College is NOT for making drones, it's for making citizens. citizenshandbook.org/arnsteinslad...

We'll say it again because certain people need to hear it: pay for federal workers accounts for just 4.3% of the budget. If the federal government were to fire every single worker, it would only reduce government spending by less than 5%. What DOGE is doing is just cruelty.

Congrats to everyone who fought for this important victory in Wisconsin!

People respond to “call your Senator” with “but mine are both Republicans.” Precisely. The only way anything will change is with PRESSURE. Signalgate is a serious breach & display of lying & incompetence at the highest levels. Call them! 202-224-3121 www.armed-services.senate.gov/about/member...

The Youngkin-Sears administration vetoed several historic bills for workers in Virginia last night, including Public Sector Collective Bargaining. We will not let their cowardly action stop our organizing. When we fight, we win. We're not done fighting.

The last report from the administration we heard was < 300. Now it's more than 500 and that number is guaranteed to increase. My constituents along with Virginians across the commonwealth are losing their jobs while the Governor prioritizes ostracizing trans kids instead of fighting for our feds.

CWAers advocated for public dollars to go toward building quality fiber internet. Now, Trump’s Commerce Sec says more money can go to Elon Musk’s unreliable, non-union Starlink. State governors must push back. All Americans need access to reliable high-speed internet. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

'Virginia is the only U.S. state that permanently strips a person’s rights to vote, serve on a jury, be a public notary and run for public office for a felony conviction unless the governor restores them'

@ucwva.bsky.social knows how to make ourselves heard! On Friday Jan 17th we lobbied the General Assembly, taking meetings with over 40 legislators to demand the restoration of our collective bargaining rights. Check us out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=acRP...

“I got into publicly funded research because I wanted to do science that would help everybody.” Trump and Musk are taking away that research from EVERYONE. 😡 Our members are heading to D.C. today to demand HANDS OFF our research!! #FightForScience #LaborForHigherEd

Today, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted to defy the federal court ruling that blocked the executive order against providing gender-affirming care for patients under 19 and violate the Code of Virginia. Discrimination isn’t just wrong; it’s illegal. They’ll undoubtedly be sued.

Excellent opinion piece by Craig Konnoth, UVA law prof. Looking at you, #VCU news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

This has been a great week for UCWVA members getting quoted in the news: 🧵

@ucwva.bsky.social has an op ed in the Richmond Times Dispatch today! Higher ed workers need Collective Bargaining: richmond.com/opinion/colu...

Important discussion hosted by HELU. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpEp...

1. On Friday, protests erupted at Stonewall National Monument, the historic site of the Stonewall uprisings that ignited the modern gay rights movement, in response to the National Park Service removing transgender people from the Stonewall Website. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Saturday @1pm

@harryszabo.bsky.social Hi I added you to this starter pack of Richmond area accounts. Theres local feeds and the other three starter packs in my bio. Let me know if you don’t want to be included. go.bsky.app/CNHM9zL

This is a really useful collection of pieces written in defense of the U.S. Department of Education. Nice work, @newamerica.org

Happy to finally be here. Inaugurating this account by reminding you that if you work in higher education in Virginia, your union is @ucwva.bsky.social, and you can join today at ucwva.org/join-us. The best time to be in a union is right now.