Why Join

We are the faculty and academic staff of the AAUP-AFT, a joint affiliate of America’s two oldest and most influential professional organizations for educational employees: the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Joining the AAUP-AFT means you are joining a proud
history of defending academic freedoms and values.

It means much more as well….

First, we negotiate the right to a fair hearing for your future at WSU. Whether it is tenure for faculty members, Employment Security Status for academic staff, or promotions for both, the contract protects the due-process procedures that many universities either do not have, or are losing in the harsh national climate of academic restructuring. At Wayne State, equitable treatment and fair evaluation are codified in contractual language that guides administrators and protects faculty and academic staff.

Second, we are an academic union.
We foster academic values on campus and in the political arena. On campus, we conducted a successful campaign that helped reverse centralization of curriculum decisions and restored the right of all academic departments to determine policy on course syllabi and textbooks— a cornerstone of academic freedom. In the political arena, the AAUP and the AFT successfully lobbied the federal government for regulations protecting the privacy of a researcher’s databases from indiscriminate disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Third, we address the daily issues of concern to faculty & academic staff. Whether it is the process for evaluating your job performance, selecting your healthcare options, or renewing your term contract, the union not only negotiates the terms and conditions of your employment, but also works to insure that administrators apply these negotiated standards of equity and due process in the daily worklife of the university. In addition to insuring day-to-day compliance with the contract, we also negotiate for fair salaries and fringe benefits in a political environment that would otherwise— absent the union— balance the budget at the expense of university employees.

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To Join, complete the forms listed below and submit them to the Union office via email or regular mail. You can send them to the AAFUP-AFT office at:

5057 Woodward Ave., Suite 3301
Detroit, MI 48202-4050

Or FAX the forms to us at (313) 577-8159.

• Affilation Status Form (.pdf)
• Authorization for Payroll Deduction (.pdf)

AAUP-AFT, Local 6075 - 5057 Woodward Avenue - Suite 3301 - Detroit, Michigan 48202-4050 - Phone: (313) 577-1750 / Fax: (313) 577-8159