Harry Szabo is a Unionist!

How can we possibly have faith in a BOV barreling forward and unwilling to hear concerns? This is not #TheUVAWeDeserve. #NoConfidence #NoNewPresident

He initially indicated via his staff that he would take the meeting with myself and fellow member Jon Rajkovich. We were asked to wait. He then stared at us through a glass door, disappeared, and told his staff to decline the meeting.

UVA's BOV continues a presidential search despite opposition from students, faculty, & staff. They scheduled an emergency BOV meeting for Dec 19th. Today in my role as @ucwva.bsky.social pres, I visited BOV member Dr. Stephen Long at St Mary's in an attempt to persuade him to course correct.

Richmond, VA — Charlie Schmidt, a progressive Democrat, attorney, and long‑time community activist, has officially announced his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 77. A former ACLU lawyer and proud union member of SEIU Local 512, Charlie brings decades of experience fighting for justice, civil rights, and working families. His campaign is rooted in the belief that every Virginian deserves a fair shot, with policies that prioritize affordability, transparency, and community empowerment. Charlie’s platform emphasizes strengthening neighborhood representation, supporting small businesses, and advancing policies that uplift working people across Richmond and Chesterfield. A key priority of his campaign is tackling energy affordability by ensuring families are not burdened with rising utility costs. Charlie has pledged to limit the outsized influence of corporations and utility monopolies at the General Assembly, fighting for reforms that put consumers first and guarantee fair, competitive energy markets. Charlie has also spent his legal career fighting to protect our most vulnerable neighbors, including those unfairly targeted by ICE. He has advocated for students rights in our public schools. And he has held police departments and local governments accountable when they violated constitutional protections. “Throughout my life and my legal career, I have worked to protect the vulnerable, seek justice, and ensure our government is accountable to the people. Now I want to take that experience to the General Assembly,” said Mr. Schmidt Supporters can learn more about Charlie Schmidt’s campaign and get involved by visiting his official website at charlie4va.com The campaign also shares updates and opportunities for engagement on social media: Facebook (@Charlie4VA), Twitter/X (@Charlie4VA), and Instagram (@Charlie4VA). Charlie invites residents of District 77 to join the movement to build a more equitable Virginia.

Charlie Schmidt announces that he is running to fill Delegate Mike Jones' seat. Schmidt was my co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the City of Richmond for Richmond Police's violation of civil rights during the 2020 protests.

Richmond for All is proud to endorse Charlie Schmidt for the House of Delegates representing Virginia's 77th district! Charlie is a lawyer, organizer, union member, and a founding member of Richmond for all.

The primary is THIS SUNDAY!

If you're in the 77th District, I urge you to vote for Charlie Schmidt this Sunday! He's a true progressive and unionist. You can vote at:
Richmond High School for the Arts – 4314 Crutchfield St, Richmond, VA 23225
Providence Middle School – 900 Starlight Lane Chesterfield, VA 23234

@ucwva.bsky.social @aaup.org Come out to UVA on Friday Dec 5th! We are marching on the Board of Visitors!

Incredibly proud to be part of a broad coalition that flipped VA-41 last night! @lilyfordelegate.bsky.social is an incredible candidate. The future is ours to build. @ucwva.bsky.social #CampusWorkers4Democracy

Remember to vote today! In Virginia we have same-day voter registration, so if you're not registered, it's not too late.

@ucwva.bsky.social showed up for pro-labor candidates in southwest VA this weekend! We've endorsed @lilyfordelegate.bsky.social for the 41st House District, and UCWVA member Darryl Campbell for Town Council. It's an honor to be part of expanding democratic participation. #CampusWorkers4Democracy

THIS is what solidarity looks like in higher ed! ✊

#DefendHigherEd

For campus workers across Virginia, I encourage you to join your union. Together, we can defend democracy. Ucwva.org/join-us

1000 people doesn't just happen--this took incredible collaboration between UCWVA-UVA and @aaup.org, as well as Wahoos4UVA, UVA Undergrad Student Council, Professors emeriti of UVA, UndocUVA, and UVA chapters of the National Campus Jewish Alliance, Rise Up, Indivisible, and Jewish Voice for Peace.

I could not be more proud of UCWVA-UVA, the founding chapter of @ucwva, and in particular the UVA Faculty Committee. Anyone who knows UVA knows that its rejection of the compact was not a foregone conclusion. And the stakes could not be higher. Academic freedom is a cornerstone of democracy.

I'm voting for @jonesjay.bsky.social because we need an AG who's going to fight for our rights in higher ed, not another 4 years with the guy who paved the way for teargassing our students. And also because I'm not five years old and I can recognize a political hit job when I see it.

Rasoul is a god damn state hero & I'll die on that hill. Mealymouthed centrists pandering to genocide supporters will only get us further down the road to total fascist takeover.

I stand w/ @samrasoul.bsky.social! Not only because he has a track record of standing with us, not only because of his willingness to fight powerful moneyed interests, but also because Sam is right to call attention to genocide. The moral bankruptcy of focusing on semantics should be self evident.

I am in love with this work. I went to the dentist last week using the health insurance that my fellow workers helped me win. I feel a responsibility to pay that forward. I hope you'll come join us, and win something you desperately need at work. ucwva.org/join-us

5. Perhaps conversely: winning matters. Coming up with plans that lead to winning matters. People talk a lot about bringing joy and fun into organizing; I feel that there's an intrinsic joy in winning something you never knew you could have. It makes the next action easier.

4. The situations we find ourselves in are high stakes, and there is no perfect solution that keeps us out of conflict with our bosses, or that is perfectly safe. I have come around to the idea that we should have a bias toward action. Take lessons from mistakes and keep going.

3. Negotiating in good faith is key. I had to learn how to be very clear about what I wanted from people, and then ask them to share what they want, and see what work we can do together. Negotiating action steps that people will actually *do* is more important than moral purity.

2. Theory starts to matter more *after* you've done at least some of the above. Do you understand the "solved problems" in the world of organizing, so you aren't duplicating old work? As much as possible, if you're reading theory--TEST IT. If it doesn't work in practice, why not?

1. Material commitment is more important than having done all the reading. Will you come to a meeting? Will you stack chairs, pour people water? Will you carry a clipboard around and ask people to sign a petition? Will you vote, door knock, wear a button?

This month marks my 3 year anniversary as a union president and more importantly, my 5 year anniversary as a union member. I am very proud, and a little terrified about how much we still have left to do. Here are five things I learned in five years:

Happy Pride!

Virginia university reform efforts mirror nationwide push to remake higher-education While the deterioration of independent governance and hiring of tenured faculty has been ongoing for decades, it has been exacerbated by recent politics.

A conservative movement wants to remake higher education - to scrap traditional university shared governance in way of more powerful boards and executives. They say it’ll foster intellectual diversity. Educators warn academic freedom is at stake.

www.pilotonline.com/2025/04/29/v...

@harryszabo.bsky.social

CWA members and retirees in District 2-13 are lending a helping hand to those in need by preparing and distributing toiletry/hygiene kits!

Congress is reviewing a budget reconciliation bill that would be history’s most dangerous higher ed bill. This bill, if passed, will bar working-class families from attending higher education. We need to stop it from passing. @debtcollective.bsky.social higheredlaborunited.org/2025/05/01/d...