Resources on Collective Action
Collective representation has long been at the heart of academic governance. As an outgrowth of that tradition and in response to the profound changes in the academic labor market, many academic employees have turned to collective bargaining to enhance shared governance and to advocate for improvements in working conditions. The MLA Executive Council supports workers’ freedom to organize, which “plays an important part in fostering an environment for academic collaboration, academic training, and the advancement of scholarship,” and invites members to make use of these resources that explore a range of options for collective action.
Websites and Publications
- Information on how to start an AAUP chapter
- Information from AAUP on forming a new union
- MLA Statement in Support of the Right of Graduate Student Workers to Organize
- MLA Statement in Support of the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition
- MLA Statement on Campus Reopenings and Challenges to Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Shared Governance
- Resources from Higher Education Labor United
- Academic Collective Bargaining
Events
Recording of The Great Untenuring (Free Webinar)
Speakers present strategies for combating structural disruptions, disengagement, burnout, and the changing job market, along with ideas for moving forward.
Recording of “How to Organize a Union: Challenges and Strategies” (2022 Convention Session)
Led by experts—academics and organizers—this session from the 2022 MLA Annual Convention seeks to stimulate discussion and knowledge sharing about union organizing and collective bargaining as a grassroots response, spotlighting future-oriented practical advice for empowerment and solidarity.
Recording of Advocacy Now: Individual and Collective Empowerment for Graduate Students (Free Webinar)
Speakers discuss how current graduate students are advocating for themselves and others and identify concrete steps that students can take to make the PhD journey more meaningful and rewarding by supporting their individual needs as well as uplifting their communities.