Local 212 ‘Represents’ at University Professionals of Illinois House of Delegates Meeting

Local 212 President Lisa Conley was an invited guest, and FAST Fund Consortium Panelist at the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) House of Delegates meeting in Oak Brook, IL on Saturday March 25. As a panelist, she shared the experiences as one of the oldest and most vibrant FAST Funds in operation in the nation, the importance of coalition building in meeting student basic needs, and how service to and fighting for students and community are core to our union work and member engagement.  

Local 212 and the Local 212 MATC FAST Fund are inaugural members of the AFT Great Lakes Consortium along with two major higher education unions in Illinois, the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI; AFT Local 4100) and the Cook County College Teachers Union (CCCTU; AFT Local 1600), and Believe in Students, Inc. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) awarded a start-up grant to the Consortium through its Powerful Partnerships Institute (PPI) Program.

Learn more the landmark AFT support for the Great Lakes FAST Fund Consortium via this video (look for our Fund’s Executive Director Liz Franczyk and President Conley) and the AFT PPI 2023 cohort awards here.

[FAST Fund panelists included three 2023 FAST Fund Consortium Student Fellows, 2023 FAST Fund Faculty Site Liaison Dr. Nicole Osmelak (Governors State University), Believe in Students Executive Director Traci Kirtley, and Local 212 President and MATC FAST Fund Board Member Dr. Lisa Conley. Picture courtesy of Believe in Students, Inc.]