Will Deliver Message to Gov. Reynolds at 4 p.m. Friday on Her Visit to Cedar Falls
(CEDAR FALLS, Iowa) – Members of a number of organizations, including Americans for Democratic Action, AFSCME Council 61, Hawkeye Area Labor Council; Iowa State Education Association, Teamsters Local 238, Indivisible SD32/HD63, and UNI United Faculty, will protest the Republican proposal to cut $3.7 million from the UNI budget for the current fiscal year.
“According to State Sen. Jeff Danielson, the new Republican proposal to cut $3.7 million from UNI’s budget will have ‘devastating’ consequences for our university,” said Joe Gorton, president of United Faculty, which represents hundreds of faculty members at the University of Northern Iowa.
“The time has come for all of us to join together and speak out against slashing UNI’s budget. We are coming together to let Gov. Reynolds know that Iowans are drawing a line against unrelenting and damaging cuts to UNI and secondary public education,” Gorton said.
Reynolds and Acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg are scheduled to appear at 4pm at the College Square Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls at 6301 University Ave. The visit is part of their recently announced “Unleashing Opportunity” tour “to hear directly from Iowans about how to build a better Iowa and unleash opportunity in every corner of the state,” according to the Office of the Governor.
“If the governor and legislature truly want to build a better Iowa and unleash opportunity, it is essential to provide the necessary funds for public higher and secondary education,” Gorton said. “Their record of persistent, unrelenting cuts to education in Iowa is crushing opportunity in our young people’s lives and our state’s economic future at every turn.”
United Faculty, established in 1976, is the chief negotiating agent for the University of Northern Iowa’s faculty, and is affiliated with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).
