Trevor Griffey

@trevorgriffey.bsky.social

Lecturer in US History & Labor Studies at UC Irvine & UCLA. VP of Leg, UC-AFT, AFT Local 1474. LAWCHA Board. FOIA user. Co-Founder, Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project. Gen X in Long Beach, CA. Higher Ed blog: https://campuslabor.substack.com/

The obvious problem here is that the organization negotiating and overseeing Microsoft's compliance with "AI guardrails" is funded by Microsoft. A less obvious problem is that this is a union initiative that, because it is run as a separate org, seems outside of union democratic governance.

AFT@aft.org · 4d ago

Privacy. Safety. Transparency. Our new National AI Safety & Privacy Standard with @uft.org and @microsoft.com protects student and educator data, requires human oversight and gives families clear information about how AI is being used in schools.

The @nytimes.com treats @aft.org as Exhibit A in tech industry move to capture the ed sector of US economy. AFT leaders need greater transparency about AFT's "National Academy for AI Instruction": copies of partnerships, bylaws, lists of officers, budget, etc. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/b...

How Big Tech Captured American Schools

Companies like Google and Microsoft have used their money, their might and their massive reach to influence nearly every step of the education supply chain.

nytimes.com

OK I read the Atlantic piece by the ex-Bates professor. 1) there are infinite resources for those willing to write from personal experience in the genre of the "ex-left" expose; 2) unionization helps adjuncts, promoting reverse discrimination complaints or quitting tenure track jobs doesn't.

OUT TODAY, the AAUP just released the first comprehensive account of how the Trump administration has taken the same playbook it's used on law firms & foreign governments & turned it on American universities. US higher ed has, in effect, become a target of a massive extortion racket. 🧵

New Report on Extorted Compliance Charges “Massive Extortion Racket” Against Higher Ed

A new AAUP report, "Extorted Compliance: A Threat to Institutional Autonomy, Academic Freedom, and Shared Governance," exposes how the Trump administration has extended its pay-to-play approach to gov...

aaup.org

I know writers who: -wrote their first book/ got tenure by elaborating on someone else's digital history -published a book based on a dissertation before its author could publish his own work (but cited it) -wrote multiple textbook chapters that paraphrased monographs (cited but barely mentioned)

Have begun to write about @ucirvine.bsky.social finances to push back against unnecessary budget cuts & layoffs. First 2 pieces: 1) expose Division of Continuing Education mismanagement; and 2) document UCI skimming from tuition and state funding to pad reserves. Link here: campuslabor.substack.com

Higher Ed Labor (w/ CA Focus) | Trevor Griffey | Substack

This is a publication for sharing information about U.S. higher education labor issues, with a focus on public higher education in the state of California. Click to read Higher Ed Labor (w/ CA Focus),...

campuslabor.substack.com