Updated March 30, 2024, July 17, 2024, September 29, 2024, October 23, 2024, and October 1, 2025

Texas AAUP members took a historic vote on March 30, 2024, in favor of the Texas AAUP Conference affiliating with the Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Vote was 45 yes, 0 no, and 2 abstain. Approved!

Texas AAUP has become the first advocacy unit within AAUP to affiliate with a State Federation of AFT. The affiliation will allow Texas AAUP and Texas AFT to amplify advocacy on our campuses and across the state!

Amplified advocacy and benefits. By joining AAUP, those in Texas would automatically become a member of Texas AAUP, Texas AFT, and AFT. Here are the legal representation and other member benefits including

• Amplified advocacy. Texas AFT has 66,000 members and 45 dedicated full-time staff for organizing, advocacy, policy analysis, lobbying, and IT. Texas AFT has hired two organizers for the Texas AAUP-AFT Local.
• Amplified benefits include $8M professional liability coverage, up to $35,000 in legal aid to respond to criminal investigations, and advocates for meetings, investigations, and grievances. Officer benefits include Board of Directors insurance.

To access the legal defense fund for employment matters, see the next two items.

AAUP Lifetime Members. Anyone who was an AAUP Lifetime Member prior to the vote on March 30, 2024, by Texas AAUP members in favor of affiliating with Texas AFT will be grandfathered into Texas AAUP-AFT with full member benefits, including access to the legal defense fund.

Legal Defense Fund. To access the legal defense fund, with the exception for certain AAUP Lifetime Members noted above, you’ll need to join AAUP through the Texas AAUP-AFT registration link because the new dues will be used to build up the Texas AAUP-AFT legal defense fund for employment matters. Texas AAUP-AFT would split any legal costs equally with Texas AFT and AFT, and the latter two have already built up their legal defense fund. The new Texas AAUP-AFT annual dues are lower than the typical cost of one hour of lawyer time, which is between $600 and $1500 per hour. The new dues will also help cover the salaries for the Texas AFT staff who work with us including the attorneys who provide legal advice. In addition, Texas AAUP-AFT has relationships with organizations that provide pro-bono legal representation for free speech cases. New dues structure explained.

Link to Join. Here’s the link to join the Texas AAUP-AFT, which is AFT Local 8041A. By joining Texas AAUP-AFT, you’ll automatically be a member of Texas AAUP, Texas AFT, AAUP, and AFT as well as your AAUP campus chapter if there is one.  AFT has 1.8M members with 300,000 in higher ed.  AFT is affiliated with AFL-CIO, which has 12M members. Here are some additional reasons to consider joining AAUP.

New name, same autonomy. With the passage of affiliation agreement, Texas AAUP is now AFT Local 8041A and known as Texas AAUP-AFT. Texas AAUP would continue to operate under its by-laws and practices, e.g. Texas AAUP members can continue to be AAUP members from public or private institutions of higher education in Texas.

Attendees at the meeting on March 30, 2024, included Texas AAUP Officers Jeff Blodgett, Patrick Burkart, Brian Evans, Teresa Klein, Ann McGlashan, Lynn Tatum, Tony Villanueva, and our Secretary. Zoom capture taken shortly after the meeting from left to right and top to bottom are Brian Evans, Zeph Capo, Tony Villanueva, Shawn Fields, Texas AAUP Secretary, Teresa Klein, David Albert, Jim Klein, Lynn Tatum, Patrick Burkart, Jeff Blodgett, and Karen Anglin.

Texas AFT article. Amid Attacks on Higher Education, Texas AAUP Votes to Affiliate with Texas AFT, April 4, 2024.

AAUP.  We champion academic freedom, advance shared governance, and organize all faculty to promote economic security and quality education.  Founded in 1915 by faculty, AAUP jointly developed principles on academic freedom, tenure and shared governance with college and university administrations that have been widely adopted by colleges and universities.

Background. On a national level, AAUP affiliated with AFT on August 1, 2022. AAUP has 45,000 members, and AFT has 1.7M members. The national affiliation, however, did not apply to AAUP advocacy conferences and campus chapters, such as the Texas AAUP Conference. With National AAUP, Texas AFT, and National AFT approved the affiliation agreement ahead of today’s vote.

At our Spring Texas AAUP Meeting on Feb. 24, 2024, leaders from Texas AAUP, National AAUP, Texas AFT, and National AFT presented their thoughts on the affiliation agreement:

Zeph Capo, Texas AFT President and National AFT Vice President

• The affiliation agreement if accepted would
  • Give access to regional leadership training opportunities
  • Accelerate organizing colleagues into a union
  • Amplify advocacy campaigns
  • Reach new campuses
  • Organize new chapters
• We need to exponentially increase number of activists. We’re behind. 
• So many attacks on academic freedom, shared governance, DEI programs, tenure, etc.
• Sense of urgency to work together and move forward.
• Texas AFT has hired a lead organizer to work specifically with Texas AAUP
• Members are single most important factor in success of organization to effect change

Mark Bostic, National AAUP Director of Organizing and Servicing:

• My budget is putting this together
• This is a big deal at National AAUP
• Texas AAUP would be first AAUP advocacy unit to join a State AFT Federation
• AAUP will cover increase in annual dues (to cover the member benefits) for a few years
• Bringing two organizations together increases political weight.
• Exciting trajectory!

Richelle Fiore, National AFT Director of Higher Education Organizing:

• Prior to the affiliation of National AAUP with National AFT, we worked together at the
• national level to organize new members and emphasize AAUP principles.
• Texas AFT is one of the best organizations for building power to protect educators in TX.
• National AFT has taken note of that and puts a lot of its organizing budget into TX.

Wanda Longoria, Texas AFT Secretary/Treasurer:

• Collective power is what makes change happen
• When I started as a K-12 teacher decades ago, Texas AFT was only organization on the front lines and in media to push back on injustice
• Fighting for diversity and quality education for students, training faculty to be powerful voices
• Way to build power locally is to provide training at local levels
• Texas AFT’s best tool is equipping chapters at local level
• Texas AFT is part of National AFT which is part of AFL-CIO
• Powerful to have union brothers and sisters standing with faculty at a board meeting or in front of media
• Member engagement is what creates power