Staff across the UC are coming together to negotiate for better, more sustainable working conditions. Since February, we have been experiencing sudden pauses to our projects, uncertainty about future support of our programs, confusing communication from the administration, and a disregard for staff input. We seek to gain a seat at the table to ensure our compensation and workplace protections are fair, equitable, and consistent because the benefits we earn through bargaining cannot be unilaterally withdrawn or altered by UC administration. By organizing with UAW, the largest union at UC, we have joined over 50,000 UC employees already affiliated with UAW, including over 5,000 student services and advising professionals who also just began their first contract negotiations.

As of September 15th, the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has certified our union election. Research and public service professionals have overwhelmingly voted to form our union. Over a majority of all 7,000+ of us participated too! RPSP-UAW is officially our union.

UC is legally obligated to meet us at the bargaining table and negotiate with us on important issues like our salaries, benefits, and workplace protections, collaboratively developing and committing to binding contracts. We have elected a bargaining committee of our colleagues and continued the democratic process to decide our collective priorities for bargaining. Moving forward, the more RPSPs who participate in our union, the more power we will have to win on our priorities. Once we have reached tentative agreements with UC on all our issues, staff will need to vote again on whether or not to ratify our first contract. Choosing to unionize as RPSP-UAW means that we now have ongoing, direct voting power and a voice in each step of the negotiation!

Through thousands of conversations over the last few months, RPSPs have expressed frustration with a range of issues, from stagnant salaries despite increasing workloads to threats to job security and a lack of transparency in administrative decision-making. Over 90% of RPSPs are either hybrid or remote employees, and many want to maintain this flexibility to work remotely. (And Gov. Newsom calling CA State workers back to the office in March does not provide any comfort.) Securing the terms of our compensation, benefits, and working conditions through a collective bargaining agreement will prevent the UC administration from making changes that impact our work experience and quality of life without our consent. Together, we can bargain for a fair union contract that enshrines what we currently enjoy in our workplace while also making much-needed improvements.

If you are currently facing any issues in your workplace, use the form below to schedule a meeting.

A History of Worker-Led Unions in Higher-Ed

Over 100,000 academic employees across the US have already chosen to join UAW. This includes staff at CalArts, Cornell, NYFA, and Columbia University as well as postdocs in the UC system, at University of Washington, Columbia, and Mt. Sinai. In the past few years, Research Scientists and Engineers at UW voted 85% in favor of unionizing with UAW, NIH Fellows voted 98% in favor of unionizing with UAW, and Professional Scientists who work for the State of California voted 88% in favor of unionizing with UAW. Mt. Sinai, USC, and Caltech academic employees voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying their first union contracts. Most recently at UC, 5,000 Student Service and Advising Professionals won their UAW union. By uniting together, academic employees are driving up standards in higher education and building a powerful voice for all.