“He has been a champion within the union for freedom of speech, academic freedom, rights of privacy, and freedom of assembly.”

Accolades of that sort from his fellow faculty members helped to pave the way for Michael Zweig of Stony Brook to be named this year’s recipient of the Nina Mitchell Award for Distinguished Service, the union’s highest honor.

“He has been instrumental in making our union a vital part of the wider union community, forging relationships and strengthening our ties to the AFL/CIO and with the union struggle to improve the lives of all workers,” wrote one of his Stony Brook colleagues.

Former Stony Brook Chapter President John Schmidt was among those who nominated Zweig, praising him as “an individual who has been highly engaged in the labor movement for the better part of his life.”

Zweig’s service to UUP dates back to 1981, when he first won election as an academic delegate. He served as Stony Brook’s vice president for academics in the mid-1980s, and again from 1999-2007, and as a member of UUP’s statewide Executive Board from 1996-2000.

Ever the activist, Zweig is credited with coming to the union’s aid during one of its darkest days, when then-Gov. George Pataki demanded that UUP give him the unfettered right to outsource members’ jobs. As a founding member of the Crisis Mobilization Committee, Zweig was instrumental in activating UUPers statewide. His efforts helped UUP reach an agreement that makes outsourcing jobs next to impossible.

“Mike personifies the union movement,” UUP President Phillip Smith said. “He lives its ideals and principles, helping to serve as an example for future generations. This level of activism is one of the reasons UUP has been so successful in fighting for its members.”

Zweig has actively promoted the growth of U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), an organization that encourages resolving foreign policy disputes by diplomacy rather than war. He spearheaded the adoption of a resolution against the war in Iraq at the 2006 AFT national convention that called for the rapid withdrawal of all troops.

Zweig combined his anti-war and pro-union activism when he helped organize the 2005 visit of Iraqi labor leaders to the U.S., which included a stop at Stony Brook University.

Zweig is founder and director of the Stony Brook Institute for the Study of Working Class Life, which has been recognized for helping to bring labor and the working class back into the mainstream of academic discourse. With backing from the center, Zweig worked with USLAW to arrange for the Iraqi leaders to meet with community groups, students, state and federal lawmakers, and unions—including UUP—in 25 cities in 10 days.

He also is executive producer of “Meeting Face to Face: The Iraq-U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour,” a 30-minute film about the Iraqis’ visit. The film has been shown worldwide.

Former Mitchell award winner Henry Steck of SUNY Cortland summed it up this way: “I can think of no finer or more deserving colleague for the Mitchell award than Michael Zweig. He has taught us what unionism is, what a politically committed unionist does, and what organizing is all about.”

—Donald Feldstein