{"id":8405,"date":"2026-06-24T11:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/?p=8405"},"modified":"2026-06-24T11:52:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:52:43","slug":"why-us-and-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2026\/06\/why-us-and-when\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Us. And When?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An Editor\u2019s Note<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Why should (I) join Local 965\/AEA\/NEA?” That is one of the two top questions that other 965 leaders and I get when friends and strangers learn of our affiliation. The other question is more of a statement: “I didn’t know the UA had a labor union.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been an active workers union on campus since 1962, when the then-named Arkansas Public Employees Union was chartered as Local 965 by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Read more at “Birth of Local 965: From Discord to Harmony<\/a>\u201d and also a 1962 Northwest Arkansas Times<\/em>article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2020, Local 965 joined the Arkansas Education Association, a division of the National Education Association<\/a>. In number of members, the NEA is the nation’s largest union, mightier than, say, the Teamsters or Auto Workers, about 3 million educators and education support professionals, in public primary and secondary schools and public colleges and universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t feel bad about our low visibility. While the Arkansas state constitution guarantees the right for a union to exist and employees to join, state law and UA-F and UA System policies keep us from recruiting on campus. Fortunately, the First Amendment allows us to distribute information. This is a key Frequently Asked Question<\/a>\u00a0on the 965 website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning to the other question, \u201cWhy should I join a union here?\u201d That stymies me. Even if I know you well, I probably don’t know you well enough to convince you to sign up<\/a> in a moment or two to start paying the equivalent of two coffee shop brews a week for support staff and lower faculty or to debit out of your bank or credit card the equivalent four coffees a week that tenured and tenure-track professors owe in 965\/AEA\/NEA dues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answering the \u201cwhy\u201d must start with this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We stand ready to act as an influential group to oppose or support X, where an individual or informal group won\u2019t have the pull.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a union or its leadership can issue umpteen proclamations, Local 965 does weigh goals and chances of success in considering the strategy to take on each issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local 965 represents<\/em> its members and advocates<\/em> for the campus community. Though “collective bargaining” is not an option here, “collective action” can be powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Living Wage Campaign at the turn of this decade likely led to the Staff Classification and Compensation Project to start to make salaries across campus competitive with area business and similar universities. Unsurprisingly, the 965 went uncredited. But we know<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2024, Local 965 kept UA custodial and groundskeeping employees from being schlepped out to a private management company, losing benefits and restricting salary progression. Our strategy started with a resolution, progressed through newspaper guest columns and other media coverage, culminating with a march through campus with pickets, chants and speeches. Unsurprisingly, the 965 went uncredited. But we know<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our monthly agenda meetings often focus on what we should do regarding current situations. Lively discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Membership advantage: Should a member find themself in hot water, we offer counseling and representation via UniServ directors trained and managed by the AEA\/NEA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Membership advantage: The NEA lists of dozens of member benefits<\/a> as does the AEA in more regional benefits<\/a>. If you use a handful of the discounts, those likely can reimburse you your dues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last is the, yes, friendships the Local offers. I myself didn’t learn of Local 965 until fall 2017, despite working two other stints for the university, one in 2002-03 and the other 2014-15. (I\u2019ve held my current post 10 years this month.) So, nine years ago I went to a panel discussion, emceed by a 965 leader who happened to be an old friend. We talked later. He needed little effort to recruit me.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The 1966 AFSCME charter for Local 965, then the Arkansas Public Employees Union (APEU) with all signatures (Click for readable PDF<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u00a92026 Ben S. Pollock<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This column first was published in the June 2026 newsletter of UA-Fayetteville Education Association \/ Local 965<\/a>. Local Vice President Ben Pollock begins a term as its president July 1, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Editor\u2019s Note “Why should (I) join Local 965\/AEA\/NEA?” That is one of the two top questions that other 965 leaders and I get when friends and strangers learn of our affiliation. The other question is more of a statement: “I didn’t know the UA had a labor union.” There has been an active workers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-coarsely"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Local-965-APEU-AFSCME-charter-1966-1080x608-464kb.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7637,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2023\/08\/reason-542-to-join-local-965-of-aea-nea\/","url_meta":{"origin":8405,"position":0},"title":"Reason 542 to Join Local 965 of AEA\/NEA","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"August 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"An Editor's Note Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last spring signed into law Arkansas Act 542 of 2023, the Given Name Act. Its full title is \"An Act to Create the Given Name Act; to Protect Faculty Members, Teachers, and Employees of Public Schools and State-supported Institutions of Higher Education from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The top of Arkansas Act 542 of 2023","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACT542-first-page.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACT542-first-page.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACT542-first-page.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACT542-first-page.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACT542-first-page.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACT542-first-page.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6314,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2019\/03\/truth-in-arkansas-stars\/","url_meta":{"origin":8405,"position":1},"title":"Truth in the Stars","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"March 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The symbolism of the four blue stars on Arkansas flag is explained. It\u2019s been embarrassing. The state flag of Arkansas includes an explicit reference to the Confederacy. The\u00a0overall design\u00a0can be seen as having similarities to the Confederate battle flag of the American Civil War. The early 20th-century legislation establishing the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Four blue stars on Arkansas flag defined","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Flag-of-Arkansas-1280x853-annotated-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Flag-of-Arkansas-1280x853-annotated-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Flag-of-Arkansas-1280x853-annotated-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Flag-of-Arkansas-1280x853-annotated-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Flag-of-Arkansas-1280x853-annotated-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7334,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2022\/07\/3-cheers-for-nea\/","url_meta":{"origin":8405,"position":2},"title":"Three Cheers for NEA \u2014 Ra Ra\u00a0RA","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"July 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"UA Takes Its First Seat at NEA Convention By Ben Pollock, Local 965 secretary This report first was published in the July 2022 newsletter of UA-Fayetteville Education Association \/ Local 965. Lots of us this summer have had to consider both mass shootings and reproductive rights. I ended up diving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brick Bats Reportage"","block_context":{"text":"Brick Bats Reportage","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/brick-bats-reportage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ben Pollock of UA-Fayetteville Education Association \/ Local 965 takes the minutes July 3, 2022, (left) of the morning Arkansas caucus meeting July 3, 2022, at Chicago\u2019s Drake Hotel. At right, Pollock listens to debate July 4, 2022, at the NEA Representative Assembly at Chicago\u2019s McCormick Place convention complex.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenP-2022-NEA-RA-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenP-2022-NEA-RA-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenP-2022-NEA-RA-collage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenP-2022-NEA-RA-collage.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenP-2022-NEA-RA-collage.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenP-2022-NEA-RA-collage.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8152,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2025\/09\/eggshells\/","url_meta":{"origin":8405,"position":3},"title":"Eggshells","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"September 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"An Editor's Note I don't know when I began being paranoid about job security. I'd like to think it was working for newspaper editor John R. Starr from 1985 to his retirement in 1992, because if you just read his caustic columns, who could blame me. It's likely to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Erika Kirk approaches the lectern at Charlie Kirk's memorial Sept. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. White House photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Erika-Kirk-at-Charlie-Kirk-Memorial-092125-whitehouse.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Erika-Kirk-at-Charlie-Kirk-Memorial-092125-whitehouse.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Erika-Kirk-at-Charlie-Kirk-Memorial-092125-whitehouse.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Erika-Kirk-at-Charlie-Kirk-Memorial-092125-whitehouse.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Erika-Kirk-at-Charlie-Kirk-Memorial-092125-whitehouse.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Erika-Kirk-at-Charlie-Kirk-Memorial-092125-whitehouse.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8071,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2025\/02\/woke-up-smell-coffee\/","url_meta":{"origin":8405,"position":4},"title":"Woke Up and Smell the Coffee","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"February 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"1 of 2. See 2. So many times in so many, many years, we are captivated by news from Washington yet breathe relief that as dramatic as it is, it doesn't hit all that close. Not this year, oh boy. U.S. colleges and universities in recent weeks got the same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1987 prestamped postcard showing some drafters of the Constitution","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/constitution-convention-postcard.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/constitution-convention-postcard.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/constitution-convention-postcard.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/constitution-convention-postcard.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/constitution-convention-postcard.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/constitution-convention-postcard.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7610,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2023\/07\/a-clickbait-strike-lifts-all-of-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":8405,"position":5},"title":"A Clickbait Strike Lifts All of Us","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"July 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It's Science: A Rising Tide Would Lift All Boats An Editor's Note This could be our year. The next months could see unions that support public educators and support staff, indeed the unions for all varieties of workers, return to proportionate prominence. This is because of the Hollywood strikes. All\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Array of logos of WGA West and WGA East, SAG-AFTRA and UA-Fayetteville Education Association\/Local 965","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8405"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8431,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8405\/revisions\/8431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}