Statement from UCW-KY on the 2024 Presidential Election

Dear fellow union members,

As you know, Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election. You may have also heard that his support increased considerably among the working class and Black and Latino voters, the very people our labor movement hopes to engage.

We want to acknowledge the anxiety and uncertainty that so many of us are feeling about the future of higher education and democracy. The pain and fear many of us feel is real, and we recognize that it is particularly acute among women, people of color, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community. We stand in solidarity with you.

As a diverse union, we are more dedicated than ever to fighting for living wages, better working conditions, and the democratic values that have historically been the ideals guiding higher education in this country. Labor unions have always been, and still remain, one of the primary vehicles for putting those values into practice. Even if we mourn, we continue to organize; our shop floor, grassroots efforts in our workplaces are now, as ever, a front line in this conflict. The most important work we can do is that which we practice every day—the daily task of thinking of our coworkers and fighting for each other in big and small ways. It is easy to think of "progress" as coming in four year increments, but this work continues, day in and day out. We know our work matters more than ever now, during a time in which the odds are increasingly stacked against us. 

If you are ready to get involved in building durable campus worker power across our Commonwealth, please consider joining in at one of the upcoming events:

• 101 Training: Organizing Fundamentals: Tuesday, 11/12 at 12:00 and 6:00 pm EST. We encourage all members to attend this training if you have not already.
• UCW-KY Statewide Organizing for DEI Webinar: Tuesday, 11/19 at 6:00 pm EST, We will discuss a statewide campaign to fight back against the attacks on higher education we are anticipating from the upcoming Kentucky legislative session. Register here to attend, and invite fellow members and non-member allies. 

We are also attaching some resources and trainings provided by other organizations for those who are interested:

• Training after Tough News
• Megan Devine’s Conversation with Malkia Devich-Cyril on Organized Grief
• Calling In Conversations with Loretta J. Ross on November 8th ($5)
• Joy and Grief in Movement Building with adrienne maree brown, Malkia Devich-Cyril, and Linda Sarsour on November 12th

In solidarity,

Jerry Nachtwey, UCW-KY Chair 

Ray Horton, UCW-KY Treasurer 

Donald Moore, UCW-KY Vice Chair

Elise Franklin, UCW-KY Secretary

Keegan Stewart, UCW-KY Representative to UCW-SE Board