May 27, 2012

Faculty Unions Mobilize to Regain Lost Ground in Elections

Faculty Unions Mobilize for Elections to Try to Regain Lost Ground 1

Andy Manis for The Chronicle

Bryan Kennedy, president of the American Federation of Teachers' Wisconsin affiliate, is helping to lead the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker. "For us this is a very personal fight," he says.

By Peter Schmidt

Labor unions that represent college instructors are gearing up for several major battles at the polls in the coming months, out of a conviction that they must flex more muscle politically if they are to prevent further assaults on their members' pocketbooks and bargaining power.

Although labor-related issues have long been key points of contention in state and national elections, labor activists in academe are especially geared up for the current election cycle in response to the