KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – An informational demonstration is being planned by members and allies of the Teaching Assistants Union (TAU) at Western Michigan University (WMU) this Wednesday, September 22.
Lasting from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., TAU, the Professional Instructors Organization (PIO) and AFSCME Local 1668 will gather outside Sangren Hall on WMU’s main campus to call for increased COVID-19 safety.
According to a statement released by TAU, officials believe “WMU administration has enacted COVID-19 policies that do not adequately protect its students, faculty, and staff.”
The organizations are seeking to raise awareness of these issues, and to inform students and the community of WMU’s policies that are not widely advertised, according to officials.
“The goal of this demonstration is for the campus community, the folks actually spending time in classrooms with no social distancing or immediate access to sanitizing supplies, to come together and demand that their safety not be compromised,” TAU President Thomas Fisher said. “We’re asking for common sense safety measures that are in line with current CDC guidelines to keep ourselves and our students safe as we carry out WMU’s educational mission.”
In addition to the demonstration, union officials also say they have drafted and are circulating a petition calling on WMU to “sit down with union leadership to
really work towards policy implementation that centers safety.”
“Those of us in the classrooms, whether it’s to teach or to perform essential services like cleaning and maintenance, have made significant sacrifices over the course of the pandemic,” Fisher added. “We’re demanding now that those sacrifices be recognized and that our safety needs be met.”
