Orientation Organizing Campaign

Organizing is the heart of unionism, connecting workers and building power to advance our shared interests. We need to organize to build and strengthen our union, and we’re kicking off a major organizing drive in conjunction with upcoming department orientations and the beginning of the academic year.

Can you be involved? If you’re interested, contact our Orientation Committee co-chairs Peter Rickman and Tim Frandy – or just fill out a quick online survey.

Orientation is typically when we add the most members to our union from the graduate assistants in our bargaining unit. Orientation is also typically when we recruit many of the activists that make our union work. Orientation is also when we form first impressions of our union – and that it even exists for unknowing new grad assistants – including building a union identity among the worker we represent. And the beginning of the academic year is an opportunity to engage current TAs and PAs around our union, building new membership, recruiting new activists, and building our union culture.

Our Orientation Organizing Campaign is going to be a tremendous opportunity with an exciting, well-run campaign to build our union. The Orientation Committee has put together a dynamic, well-constructed plan for organizing during the next two months, leading into and right after orientation and the beginning of the academic year. We need you to be involved to successfully organize and to build our union. There are lots of ways to be involved in a few different capacities.

Will you get involved? If so, or to find out more, contact our Orientation Committee co-chairs Peter Rickman and Tim Frandy – or just fill out a quick online survey.

We need folks to set up times to speak to department orientations. We need people to speak at these orientations. We need folks to help track data and information. We need people to follow up with the members we contact during orientations to plug them into the union. We need folks to help build the infrastructure of the campaign. In short, there are lots of ways to get involved, and we need you to be a part of this organizing campaign.

To find out more or to get involved right now, contact our Orientation Committee co-chairs Peter Rickman and Tim Frandy – or just fill out a quick online survey.

We’ll be holding four campaign kickoff events on August 5th, 11th, 16th and 20th, so get them on your calendar and plan on showing up at one. They will be at the TAA office at 6 PM, with free food and beverage, in addition to a great program: we’ll go over the campaign strategy, we’ll train people on particular roles in the campaign, we’ll hear from TAA activists and other labor leaders, and we’ll get fired up for an important and exciting campaign of the TAA. See you then, and see you on the campaign trail!