By Greyson Arnold, Ben Lewis & Olivia Wood, UE Local 1105 | Photo Courtesy of ueunion.org | UE News Reuse Policy
MINNEAPOLIS, MN—On Monday March 31 members of UE Local 1105, the Graduate Labor Union of the University of Minnesota (UMN), gathered at the UMN Twin Cities campus to speak out against the university administration’s inaction in the face of a broad range of threats from the federal government against workers, students, and faculty. The rally was held jointly with AFSCME 3800 and featured speakers from both unions as well as the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, and other campus and local organizations. The large crowd expressed concern over a plethora of attacks: cuts to federal research funds, attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, the rollback of civil rights for transgender people, and the arrests and deportations of immigrants and international students across the United States. This last concern was especially pressing, as ICE detained a UMN graduate student from Turkey on March 27.
At the rally, Local 1105 President Abaki Beck, alongside AFSCME 3800 president Max Vast, unveiled a list of eight demands for UMN President Rebecca Cunningham. This joint press conference and rally drew over 500 attendees, breaking the university’s spontaneous civil engagement policy enacted in August 2024, which limits protests to 100 attendees.
Beck called upon Cunningham to take “immediate and pre-emptive action” to protect students and workers from the consequences of the federal attacks, instead of continuing to “hide behind empty platitudes” that perpetuate harm to workers and students. These demands included President Cunningham holding a meeting with union leadership, a written commitment to defending immigrant workers and protecting cultural or diversity centers on campus, publicly communicated plans on how UMN will address funding challenges, a binding agreement to halt layoffs for one year, an expansion of Know Your Rights trainings, and an end to union busting and political repression on campus.
Olivia Wood, a graduate worker in the English Department and a Local 1105 steward, detailed the fear many on campus are currently feeling and called on President Cunningham not to allow herself to be paralyzed by fear. “These past few months, I’ve experienced more fear due to politics than ever before in my adult life. Almost everyone I know is scared, too,” Wood said. “But I, and my fellow GLU-UE members, will not let our fear stop us from standing up for ourselves, for our colleagues, and our coworkers. Because we know that fear is never a reason to refuse to do the right thing. To Rebecca Cunningham, to the Board of Regents: We call on you to overcome your fear.”
Greyson Arnold, a transgender graduate worker in the Department of Family Social Science, spoke of his decision to study at the University of Minnesota because it promised greater safety. “As a transgender PhD student from the southern United States, who studies transgender, gender-diverse, and LGBTQ+ communities, I chose to study at UMN so that I could have confidence in my civil rights and ability to conduct crucial research,” Arnold said. “Instead, I stand before you on the 16th annual Transgender Day of Visibility, pleading with our university’s leadership to protect me, to protect my international and immigrant colleagues and neighbors. Visibility without protections is a trap!”
A month later, the demands Local 1105 and AFSCME 3800 made of the administration still have not been met. Soon after the demands were made public to the University, UMN Vice President of Human Resources Ken Horstman responded to union presidents Beck and Vast in an email, referring to the demands as “bargaining issues,” and went on to mention that GLU would have to wait until the local’s contract expires in Spring of 2027 before the university would consider the demands.
In response, Local 1105 will be strengthening ties with unions, immigrant rights groups, and community allies across campus and the Twin Cities. Local 1105 is building a united front to keep its members safe and to pressure the University to take real, material action.
On April 25, Local 1105 President Abaki Beck spoke at AFSCME 3800’s contract negotiation kickoff rally and reaffirmed the local’s stance that these demands are necessary.
Local 1105’s stewards and members will soon have access to Know Your Rights trainings, coordinated with campus partners, to prepare for the escalating threats many in our communities are facing. These trainings are essential for the local to arm itself with the knowledge and tools to resist state violence and institutional neglect.
On May 1, Local 1105 joined the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee for their May Day/Day Without Immigrants rally and march at the Minnesota state capitol. Recognized internationally as a day of worker solidarity, May Day provides an opportunity for workers and community members to come together in support of shared struggles.
Looking ahead, Local 1105 remains committed to working alongside the broader Twin Cities labor community and other UE graduate worker locals to build enduring collective power. As the federal government continues to enact harmful policies and as the university remains largely unresponsive, Local 1105 affirms its role in standing with those affected. This effort reflects a core principle of solidarity: workers and community members joining together to protect and support one another.
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