Administrator

2026 Labor Day Labor Picnic Biggest Yet

An estimated 72 union members, their relatives including children, friends and supporters of organized labor attended the annual Labor Day Labor Picnic on Sept. 7, 2026. It was a record number of diners, who heard from 14 political candidates.

KFSM-TV channel 5: “U of A Union Members Celebrate Labor Day”

The program comprised welcomes by Ben Pollock, president of UA-Fayetteville Education Association / Local 965, the chapter’s immediate past president Hershel Hartford and Walter Hinojosa, president of the Northwest Arkansas Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO). The two groups co-hosted the cookout, with the NWA chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America a co-sponsor having helped defray expenses. Also welcoming the picnickers was Lisa Parks, prosecuting attorney-elect for the 4th Judicial District (Washington and Madison counties).

Ben Pollock, president of UA-Fayetteville Educational Association, hails the estimated 6 dozen attending the 2026 Labor Day Labor Picnic, Sept. 7, at Veterans Memorial Park in Fayetteville. Photo by Wendy Howerton.

Candidates speaking included (in order of speaking at the picnic):

Wendy Howerton, candidate for the Division 2 seat on the 4th Judicial Circuit
Haley Hall, candidate for Fayetteville City Council Ward 3, Position 1
Dana Deree, Democratic nominee for County Judge of Washington County
Kristin Pawlik, candidate for the Division 2 seat on the 4th Judicial Circuit
Member Sarah Moore of the Fayetteville City Council Ward 2, Position 1
Kyle Smith, candidate for Fayetteville City Council Ward 4, Position 1
Jamie Atkinson, Democratic nominee for Arkansas House Dist. 19 (south Springdale, Johnson and north Fayetteville)
Blake Pennington, candidate for Fayetteville city attorney
Robb Ryerse, Democratic nominee for U.S. House Dist. 3
Dan Holtmeyer, Democratic nominee for state House Dist. 15 (Rogers)
DJ Deutsch, candidate for Fayetteville city attorney
Annedella Hines, Democratic nominee for Washington County justice of the peace, Dist. 7
State Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen, D-Dist. 9 (Springdale)
John Coleman, candidate for Fayetteville City Council Ward 2 Position 1

Walter Hinojosa, president of the Northwest Arkansas Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO), presents state Rep. Diana Gonzalez Worthen, D-Springdale, a cap signed by the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Photo by the Rev. Clint Schnekloth.

The "merch table" of free campaign materials of candidates attending the 2026 Labor Day Labor Picnic, Sept. 7, at Veterans Memorial Park in Fayetteville. — Walter Hinojosa, president of the Northwest Arkansas Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO), presents state Rep. Diana Gonzalez Worthen, D-Springdale, a cap signed by the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Photo by the Rev. Clint Schnekloth.

Robb Ryerse, Democratic nominee for U.S. House District 3, addresses the 2026 Labor Day Labor Picnic Sept. 7 in Fayetteville. Photo by Clint Schnekloth.

The column “Big Tense” is Ben Pollock’s fleshing out his remarks of welcome.

UA Workers Group Marches with Pride

Members of UA-Fayetteville Education Association / Local 965 once again walked behind their banner Saturday, June 27, in the 2026 Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade, joining hundreds down Fayetteville’s Dickson Street and witnessed by thousands.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article “Northwest Arkansas Pride Festival Paints Downtown Fayetteville with Color as Pride Month Comes to a Close” (with alternate link “NWA Pride Marks Anniversary for Organizing Nonprofit“) elaborated on many events on the overall Pride weekend.

The Local 965 approaches behind its red banner, as part of the 2026 Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade on June 27. Photo by Denise Garner.

Hershel Hartford, president of UA-Fayetteville Education Association / Local 965, leads union members in the 2026 Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade in Fayetteville on June 27. Photo by Denise Garner. — The Local 965 approaches behind its red banner, as part of the 2026 Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade on June 27. Photo by Denise Garner.

“Pride Month is observed each June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, when demonstrations following a police raid at the Stonewall Inn helped galvanize the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. June was first federally recognized as Pride Month in 1999 by President Bill Clinton,” according to the report.

“This weekend creates space for people to be seen, to be celebrated and to be connected to one another,” Mayor Molly Rawn was quoted as having said. “That deserves to be celebrated, not just this evening and not just tomorrow, but all year long.”

The weekend events were organized by NWA Pride.

Petition Drive Deadline Looms

Time Is of the Essence for Our Rights, Children’s Education

Arkansas voters statewide are being asked for their help in getting two proposed amendments to the state constitution on the November general election ballot. Not just to sign petitions but to gather signatures. We are talking about the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment and the Education Rights Amendment. Petition deadline is Friday, July 3, 2026.

Supporters told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette they’re still about halfway toward the signature goal in “Backers of Arkansas Ballot Initiatives on Education, Direct Democracy Seeking Tens of Thousands of Signatures” (with alternate link in case of paywall.)

Info sheets about the two proposed amendments prepared by organizers summarize their points and can be printed out.

Paid Signature Collecting

If you would like a summer job working 8 hours a day at $30 an hour, you can be one of the paid canvassers for the Ballot Rights Amendment through Fieldworks. You need to apply now to start work in a day or two. The application and interview process are online. Fieldworks has offices in Fayetteville, Little Rock and Jonesboro, where you will be trained as early as Monday and can start as early as Tuesday.

Employment Form and details

Volunteer Signature Collecting

If you want to volunteer with the Arkansas Education Association as a volunteer canvasser to collect signatures for both the Education Rights Amendment and the Ballot Rights Amendment, you need to register immediately. The training is Saturday, May 30, at the Arkansas Education Association HQ in Little Rock.

Summer Sundays

If you would like to be part of AEA’s Summer Sundays team, please register for the Summer Sundays Training on Thursday, June 4 (if you have not already been trained), and also on the form select the Sundays that you are available. We have an opportunity to collect signatures for the two ballot measures at some churches, and AEA needs your help!

Team Juneteenth

Want to join our team to collect signatures at a Juneteenth event? Sign up for this training on June 5 to connect with others in your county!

Info Sheets

PDF of Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment flyer

PDF of Arkansas Education Rights Amendment flyer

Backing Off Deanship Shows Vulnerability

By Hershel Hartford
President, UA-Fayetteville Education Assocation/Local 965

In recent weeks, our university community has faced a significant and troubling development: the rescinding of the offer to appoint Emily Suski as dean of the Law School. This decision, influenced by complaints from legislators and the governor, is an action that we cannot overlook nor can we allow it to become a precedent for the future of our institution.

The implications of this situation extend far beyond an individual appointment. The intervention of political figures in our academic processes raises serious concerns about the erosion of academic freedom and the integrity of our educational environment. When decisions are made based on external pressures rather than scholarly merit and institutional values, we jeopardize the core principles that define our university.

Academic freedom is the foundation of our work as educators. It empowers us to explore ideas, challenge conventions and foster an open exchange of perspectives. The politicization of educational appointments threatens to silence important voices, stifling innovative thinking and diverse viewpoints that are essential for a robust academic discourse. By allowing politics to dictate who leads our academic programs, we risk creating a culture of fear and conformity that undermines our mission to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders, thinkers and change-makers.

As members of UA-Fayetteville Education Association/Local 965, it is our duty to stand up against this intrusion of politics into our academy. We must advocate for an environment where decisions are grounded in the principles of fairness, transparency and educational excellence. We must support our colleagues and fight for a system that allows qualified individuals, like Dean Suski, to lead without the specter of political maneuvering looming over their heads.

This is a moment for us to reflect on the values we hold dear and to engage in meaningful discourse about the future of our university. I urge each of you to voice your concerns, join in discussions and collaborate in solidarity to defend our academic integrity. Together, we can create a stronger, more equitable environment where our faculty can thrive, and our students can benefit from the rich diversity of thought that characterizes a true academic community.

Let us not remain silent in the face of this challenge. We must collectively push back against any efforts to compromise our autonomy. Our university’s future depends on our commitment to protecting the fundamental principles that define us as educators.

This column first was published in the January 2026 newsletter of UA-Fayetteville Education Association/Local 965.

University of Arkansas School of Law (Credit U of A)

Posting of Commandments Plainly Unconstitutional

The university has no obligation to follow a law that contravenes the Constitution and undermines our liberties.

At the Oct. 23, 2025, regular meeting of the membership and executive board of UA-Fayetteville Education Association / Local 965, a unanimous vote approved the following statement:

The UA-Fayetteville Education Association/Local 965 stands ready to defend the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which is incorporated onto the state of Arkansas through the Fourteenth Amendment.

The First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit the Arkansas General Assembly from enacting any law “respecting the establishment of religion” or “prohibiting the free exercise” of religion. But the General Assembly has violated these constitutional prohibitions by passing Act 573 of 2025, which endorses and encourages the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school and university classrooms. By privileging a particular faith tradition over others, Act 573 establishes an official creed for students. And by using state authority to marginalize other faiths, the law discourages the free exercise of those religious traditions. In enjoining four Northwest Arkansas school districts from complying with Act 573, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks called Act 573 “plainly unconstitutional.”

The UA-Fayetteville Education Association/Local 965 demands that the University of Arkansas protect the Constitutional rights of its students and staff by refusing to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The University has no obligation to follow a law that contravenes the United States Constitution and undermines the individual liberties at the foundation of our democracy.

Arkansas Act 573 of 2025 (PDF) requires the blanketing of posters of a translation of the Ten Commandments in government buildings, public schools and institutions of higher education, as well as hanging posters stating “In God We Trust.”

Over the summer, the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sued four school districts on behalf of seven families in U.S. District Court with Stinson v. Fayetteville School District No. 1. Since then, two other school districts were added to the lawsuit. In August, the federal judge assigned the case granted a temporary injunction blocking the new law in those districts.

Act 573 remains in effect otherwise. UA received a donation of 500 Ten Commandments posters and is hanging them throughout the Fayetteville campus.

Besides Local 965’s opposition, others are opposing the law as it’s being applied to the university. The UA Faculty Senate approved such a resolution (PDF) last May. A prominent donor is stopping scholarship contributions over the law’s enactment.

Poster for the Nov. 20, 2025 Act 573 Teach-In at Union 503-504

Time, location update: Also, an undergraduate student is organizing a teach-in to explore the topic. Junior Nathan Gray has reserved HOEC 102 (Human Environmental Sciences building) for the teach-in 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. For planning, Gray asks those interested to complete a brief form.

In his October message, Local 965 President Hershel Hartford wrote, “While I personally adhere to a set of moral principles that these commandments embody, I want to emphasize that our membership, much like our broader university community, is rich in diversity. We encompass a wide spectrum of theological beliefs and many who do not subscribe to any faith. This diversity is a strength that encourages critical thinking, respectful discourse, and a spirit of inclusion — hallmarks of the educational environment we strive to foster.”