The United Academics union of the University of Oregon has passed a sanctuary union policy to protect its non-citizen and naturalized members. The policy was passed by UA’s executive council on April 21.
The sanctuary union will protect both the employees represented by the union and their families, regardless of immigration status or national origin. The union will not voluntarily cooperate with federal agents in the arrest or attempted deportation of employees or their family members.
This is in direct response to the federal administration’s increasing effort to propose harsh immigration laws without due process, according to the policy. In its effort to protect employees, the union will push for university policy that strengthens workplace protections, facilitates trainings to inform faculty of their legal rights and creates a defense fund to assist employees who may be targets of unlawful conduct by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ed Wolf, a professor in the school of music and dance and member of the UA executive council, said that because the federal government has targeted international faculty, the union felt it was important to be supportive of workers in case they find themselves in a situation where they are being threatened with deportation.
“We feel the importance of these workers who are non-citizen workers who might be here on H1-B visas. They’re fulfilling important functions that the university does,” Wolf said. “We felt it was important to let them know that they had a resource in the union.”
Wolf said that he wishes the university would “come out with a more concrete stance” regarding issues of deportation and immigration and that the administration, the university senate and the union should work together to “make sure everyone here at UO feels safe and protected.”
UO offers outside resources to immigrant or international students and faculty. According to its immigration resources website, the university cannot offer legal services or advice.
UA is currently working to appropriate funding as “bridge funding,” or short-term assistance that helps someone be supported in a legal situation until they are able to secure longer-term funding.
This funding primarily comes from union dues, but there is also support from national affiliates, according to Wolf. UA’s national affiliates include the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
A committee would determine what kind of legal funds they would offer on a case-by-case basis, according to Wolf. The committee would not include members of the executive council.
“We feel like we needed to come out strong to help out in a moment of uncertainty,” Wolf said. “To help our members feel just a little more confident in being able to do their jobs here at the UO and be able to feel like they are supported at work.”
Currently, Wolf said that the union is working out the details for appropriating funding for the defense fund.
