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The Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America are standing in solidarity with their union comrades from the University of Connecticut's Graduate Employee & Postdoc Union, GEU-UAW Local 6950.

Two weeks ago, GEU-UAW UConn launched a petition to "protect public education and stand with UConn graduate workers."

Since then, nearly 1,900 community members have sent letters in support of the union, along with 28 organizations including unions (e.g., New Haven AFT, SEIU, AF- CIO, AFSCME), political parties (e.g., Working Families, Democratic Socialists), and an assortment of progressive NGOs and communist-adjacent groups (e.g., HUSKY for Immigrants, CT For All, New Haven Peoples Center - yes that's the one tied to the Connecticut Communist Party).

The petition included a letter calling on University Administration and the Board of Trustees to support the union by "committing to the economic and social well-being of its Graduate Assistants and meeting them with a strong and fair contract."

In the letter GEU-UAW UConn argues that "public education is under attack" and "students and workers feel unsafe to carry out the duties of their role without fear of being targeted, arrested, or deported" -- this is happening, they say, because the "highest echelons of political power" have "violently disregarded" the values of "democratic institutions.

"The people who work at a taxpayer-funded public institution to provide Connecticut’s students with an education should not have to worry about safety in the workplace, regardless of immigration status," wrote GEU-UAW UConn.

"Workers at UConn should not have to worry about access to healthcare, housing, or food," the union added. "They should be able to affordably and safely access their workplaces, without undue costs for transportation or parking. We believe these are rights that extend to all workers, anywhere in the world."

The union is calling on UConn to stand in solidarity by "guaranteeing the economic and social well-being of graduate workers in their next contract."

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