Organizing campus workers around labor rights at Auburn University

The labor movement has been a driving force for social change throughout the history of the United States. Especially in southern states, where legislation and a historically hostile climate are present, labor organizations are needed to advocate for the rights of workers. Labor rights are no less relevant on university campuses than they are on a shop floor; undergraduate and graduate workers, staff, and faculty are often exploited and underpaid. Employees at Auburn University in Alabama formed a new chapter of the United Campus Workers (UCW) in 2020 to address issues such as lab safety, poverty wages, and a lack of cost-of-living adjustments. State legislation, including right-to-work and at-will employment laws, is prohibitive to labor organizing in the southeast, leading us to use tactics such as wall-to-wall organizing, pre-majority unionism, and pressure campaigns. Organizing in this way creates a strong community of employees who care about our workplace and want to improve it. Here, we present how organizing campus workers of all job classes at a public university in the southern United States can induce positive change in the workplace, improving it for all.