UAW 2478: Collecting Thoughts on Social Media Monitoring by the Trump Admin

TL;DR: Please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous survey to help UAW international collect data regarding the recently announced plans that the Trump administration has to monitor non-citizens’ social media! This will help mount a comprehensive legal defensive for all of us, citizens and non-citizens alike.

Over the last six months, we have seen continuous attacks on higher education, which have affected us all here at Caltech. Our parent union, UAW international, has been active in joining and supporting various lawsuits challenging Trump administration attacks on higher ed, including staying cuts to grant funding and preventing restrictions on free speech. The UAW is continuing to explore potential avenues for legal action to protect UAW members, including international students and scholars, and I write to you today to bring to you a new initiative in which you may be interested in taking part.

The Trump administration recently announced that it intends to monitor the social media of non-US citizens for certain viewpoints. The UAW is planning a legal response, and as such the Higher Ed department is beginning to collect data. To help the UAW Higher Ed department identify the impact of potential social media monitoring on UAW members and to prepare for potential legal action, please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous survey. Both US-citizens and non-US citizens should fill it out so we can understand the full impacts of this policy.

This survey is completely confidential and anonymous, and will not collect your name, email address, contact, or other identifying information. Responses will be routed to our attorneys and are attorney-client privileged communications. Please do not share this survey with anyone who is not a UAW member or part of a UAW-represented bargaining unit–this unfortunately excludes our scientific colleagues at JPL.

This initiative comes to us by way of the good folks at the UAW Higher Ed Department, specifically Zoe Carey and Neal Sweeney. If you have been affected by the Trump administration’s social media surveillance and are interested in further supporting the UAW’s work on this issue, including potential participation in legal action, please get in touch to get involved by emailing organize@cgpu.org! Thanks so much, team! Have a great one.