UW-Madison Faculty Union Endorses Hong for Governor
The United Faculty and Academic Staff cited Francesca Hong's involvement in the "encampment for Palestine" as a reason for its support
United Faculty and Academic Staff, the union that represents many University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty members, has endorsed state Rep. Francesca Hong for governor. Hong, a Democratic socialist who represents the 76th assembly district, is running for the Democratic nomination.
“I am incredibly honored and proud to have earned UFAS’s endorsement. This one is especially personal to me because my dad is a UFAS member,” Hong told The Madison Federalist via email. “Faculty and academic staff deserve a governor who respects their expertise, invests in the institutions they serve and stands with them in the fight for dignity and a meaningful voice at work.”
In a July 9 statement announcing its support, UFAS said Hong “will be an ally to working people in Wisconsin.” It cited her advocacy for a statewide moratorium on the construction of data centers, raising the minimum wage, and providing free health and child care as reasons for its endorsement.
UFAS also mentioned Hong’s “moral clarity” in supporting the 2024 UW-Madison encampment protesting Israeli actions in Gaza. Hong has continually been critical towards Israel, and controversially appeared on a livestream with leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.
UW-Madison faculty and academic staff can voluntarily join UFAS, which is not formally affiliated with the university. UFAS co-president Barret Elward told The Federalist via email, “Endorsements, like any major decision undertaken by our union, are democratic (small “d”) decisions that involve all of our members.” UFAS is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, a national teachers’ union. Elward did not answer a question about what proportion of faculty and academic staff are members of UFAS.
Presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany was not surprised by the endorsement. Tiffany represents Wisconsin’s seventh congressional district.
“It’s no surprise that a faculty that directs nearly 99 percent of its political contributions to left-wing candidates and causes is endorsing the open socialist in this race,” Tiffany told The Federalist. “They’re supporting the candidate whose Marxist ideology aligns with their own and whose agenda protects the higher education bureaucracy rather than the students who are forced to pay higher tuition year after year.”
UFAS supports Hong’s proposal to repeal Act 10, a collective bargaining law passed by the Wisconsin state legislature in 2011. A Wisconsin Legislative Council memo described the legislation as “eliminating collective bargaining with respect to hours and conditions of employment for municipal employees who are not public safety employees.”
“Act 10 stripped public employees of fundamental workplace rights and weakened their ability to advocate for fair pay, benefits and working conditions,” Hong told The Federalist. “Repealing Act 10 would restore those rights to educators, nurses, university employees and other public servants. Strong unions benefit all working people. When workers can negotiate for better wages, safer workplaces and family-supporting benefits, they raise standards throughout the labor market and strengthen their communities.”
Act 10 has long been opposed by Democrats because it weakened many labor unions. However, Republicans maintain support for the legislation, arguing that it saves taxpayer money.
“Repealing Act 10 would increase taxes by roughly $2 billion every year, forcing Wisconsin families to shoulder an even heavier tax burden,” Tiffany said. “Our state is already among the highest property tax states in the nation. Repealing Act 10 would push the dream of homeownership even further out of reach for graduates and accelerate the exodus of our best and brightest to lower-tax states with more opportunity and freedom.”
Affordability, especially for college students and young adults, has also become a key issue for both campaigns.
According to Hong, “Students would also benefit from my broader affordability agenda, including affordable housing and healthcare, stronger public transit, and better wages and workplace protections for student workers.” One of the ways Hong suggests to support this plan is through a progressive tax code. Her website states that she will cut property taxes by 44 percent while raising taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals.
“My commitment to fully funding Wisconsin’s public universities and technical colleges would most directly benefit students,” Hong said. “We should treat public higher education as a public good and ensure every student can receive a high-quality education without taking on crushing debt.”
Tiffany has been critical of recent tuition hikes for UW System students. He told The Federalist, “The biggest challenge facing many college students today is finding a path to success without being buried by rising costs, and that’s exactly what my agenda addresses. I’ll start by freezing tuition for Wisconsin students, making it easier to earn a degree without taking on even more debt.”
“I’ll lower taxes, end the 400-year property tax hike, and make Wisconsin more competitive so businesses create more good-paying jobs for graduates,” Tiffany said. “I want Wisconsin to be the land of opportunity for our graduates, not a place they feel they have to leave to build a better future.”
The primary is on August 11 and the general election is November 3. Tiffany faces longshot candidate Andy Manske in the Republican primary. In the Democratic primary, Hong is contending against former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration Joel Brennan.
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