UAW Local 2324

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: SHANDELL CAMPBELL.

L.2324 members and friends, it is our pleasure to introduce you to Shandell. He has been a member of the team at BU’s Residential Security office for the past seven years, and as of June of this summer, is serving as elected Vice-President of L.2324. To give more members a chance to know him better, we sat down to ask him a few questions for this newsletter issue.

1. What is your job role, and what are some things you enjoy about it?
As a member of the Residential Security team, I help to monitor safety and access at student housing facilities. We sign-in students and their guests, and respond and report when situations call for it. Day to day, I enjoy talking to the students – I’m always learning something new!

2. Tell us about your life outside BU.
I was born and raised in Boston, in Dorchester. Currently I live in Mattapan with my girlfriend and my four-year-old son, Messiah. It was my son that really motivated me to run for Local office. I wanted to be a role model in terms of service, and in terms of achievement, and being elected to a leadership role is a great example. When I have the time, I enjoy video gaming and following professional wrestling. Recently, I’ve been getting into graphic design, and have been enjoying learning design skills by creating original logos. I’m really looking forward to the start of the fall semester because I’m using my tuition remission benefits to work towards a degree in business management. I can’t wait to get back into classes.

3. Tell us about your involvement in the Local.
Well, another reason I wanted to run for office is that I heard directly from my coworkers about workplace changes that impacted them directly – complaints that go unaddressed, or management’s removal of the meal allowance in the new contract. One of my favorite ways of serving members is by just talking to them, to give them information on what's going on with 2324 and letting them know how they can help. For my own part, working for the Local has definitely helped me improve my time management and organization skills!

4. What piece of advice do you want to share with any BU hires?
My tip is to take advantage of every opportunity that the school offers. Classes, events, training; make the most of it! One other tip, too – one of the best places for lunch is Cane's.

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Shandell acts as a shop steward for Residential Security and other employees working on West Campus. If you’d like to set up a conversation or a meeting, contact him at [email protected].

MA Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley were front and center at an event last Wednesday 8/10 at the Boston Teachers' Union Hall in Dorchester. Panelists spoke about the current status of federal student loan debt cancellation, and the prospects for seeing President Biden sign an executive order providing that relief before the midterm elections. As invited guests of the MA CAP Council, L.2324 Trustee Richard Larkin and President Zachary Bos were in attendance, showing unionist spirit (in our new bright red 2324 tee-shirts, as it happens).

Prepared comments were followed by a town-hall discussion, where attendees told about the ways student debt has burdened them, shared strategies for pressuring the White House to take action on this issue, and questioned labor and elected officials about their plans for continued advocacy. A clear consensus was heard: student debt cancellation (not forgiveness, because what mistake have students made that needs to be forgiven?) is not just about economic relief. It is also one of the most impactful actions that Biden can take, with a single signature, to help narrow the gap of racial, generational, and gender inequality that our country's failure to invest in higher education has expanded in recent decades.

Here's one comment from Sen. Warren that seemed to speak directly to the union members and leaders in the room: I believe in public education, as a way to create opportunity for everyone... I am here today because I *believe* in unions. Unions built the American middle class, and it is unions who will *rebuild* the middle class." Hear, hear!

Detailed reporting about the event can be found in local news outlets and on the social media of the elected officials.

UPDATED on 8/23 to add: "President Joe Biden is expected to announce his administration's much-anticipated decision on student loan cancellation on Wednesday, NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg report; watch https://twitter.com/i/events/1562124610639785985 for the latest developments."

The UAW International Women’s Advisory Council sponsors a monthly group discussion called Talk about it Wednesday’s – on zoom and on a Facebook Live.

During these panel discussions, we talk about issues that affect women in the world and workplace.

This month on Wednesday July 20th at 6pm. Here is the link to Register https://bit.ly/3MQrbK6.

We will be discussing the Roe V. Wade decision. Our Panel members will be from the Women’s Law Center, UAW Legislative Department, and AFl-CIO Government Affairs Representative Emily List.

Our discussion will encompass issues such as:
The Laws in specific states identifying who is in danger of having their reproductive rights stripped, who has already lost them and where are you protected
The history leading up to Roe being overturned
How this decision intersects with Labor
Where do we go from here? What is our next action?

The Election Committee has issued a memo informing members of the results of the Local’s Triennial Election, following the close of the Nomination Period on May 10th. Uncontested candidates for all but one position were elected by acclamation. The office of Vice President was not filled; as a result the position’s nomination period has been extended until 5 PM on May 17th. Please visit http://local2324uaw.org/news/general/ to view the PDF memo with the election results and information about eligibility for serving as Vice President and instructions for putting oneself forward as a candidate for the role. Questions about the election outcome or the VP nomination process can be sent to [email protected].

UAW Local 2324 - Boston University