FAQs

A union is an organized group of workers who act collectively to influence and improve their working conditions, including by negotiating a contract (collective bargaining agreement) with their employer. A collective bargaining agreement is legally binding, cannot be changed without consent from both parties and provides a process for recourse if it is violated.

We are UW Researchers who seek to unionize and collectively bargain to improve our experience at UW. Forming a union as part of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) means joining tens of thousands of researchers and other higher education employees who are already UAW members. UW Postdocs and Academic Student Employees (graduate and undergraduate students employed by UW) are already unionized with UAW 4121, a local chapter of UAW, and our goal is to join them as a distinct bargaining unit, UW Researchers United.

As Researchers, we play a crucial role in making UW a world-class research institution, yet our compensation and working conditions are not always commensurate with our contributions to UW. By forming a union, we will be able to: 

• Collectively bargain and enforce our own terms and conditions of employment;
• Negotiate on equal footing with UW Administration for improvements such as salary increases, career development resources, better job security, parental leave, retirement benefits, and much more;
• Gain support and recognition for our research contributions commensurate with the research revenue UW receives each year;
• Gain a more equitable working environment, including protections from harm due to COVID-19, racism, xenophobia, sexism, and other oppressive systems;
• Empower and increase the collective strength of researchers locally and nationally.

We have reached a moment where we must commit to collaborative action by forming a union. By uniting our voices in solidarity with academic workers nationwide, we intend to collectively bargain with UW to address our concerns and increase equity for all.

On 12/20/2021 we filed a petition with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) seeking certification as a bargaining unit of Research Scientist/Engineers (Assistant-4) job titles, and a majority of employees in these titles have signed union authorization cards.

If you have one of these job titles, even if it’s less than 100% FTE (full time equivalent), you can still sign an authorization card until PERC certifies our bargaining unit. You can fill out an authorization card here. If you are unsure of your job title/classification it can be viewed in your Workday profile.

People in other job titles such as Research Scientist Senior, Principal, Senior-Principal, Research Coordinator and Research Consultant are also encouraged to sign authorization cards, If you are a UW Researcher with duties and responsibilities comparable to the titles above or if you are unsure if your position should be included, please contact us.

1. Researchers form an organizing committee to gather information and make a plan to form a union.
2. A majority of Researchers (50% + 1) sign authorization cards indicating they would like to form UW Researchers United / UAW 4121.
3. Authorization cards are delivered to PERC (Public Employment Relations Commission), the Washington State commission designated to oversee public employee unionization efforts. 
4. PERC requests a list of employees in the petitioned-for titles from UW to verify that the submitted cards are valid and represent a majority. *April 2022 Update: After it became clear that the certification by card check was going to be substantially delayed following UW challenges to the A-4 bargaining unit, we requested that PERC hold a representation vote to more quickly certify the bargaining unit.
5. PERC certifies UW Researchers United / UAW 4121 as a union, and Researchers can begin bargaining with the UW Administration.
6. Researchers elect a bargaining committee.
7. Researchers fill out surveys, hold discussions, request information from UW Administration, and gather feedback to draft initial bargaining demand documents.
8. These initial bargaining demands are sent to all Researchers for review, and Researchers vote on whether to move ahead with them.
9. The bargaining committee negotiates as equals with the UW Administration, and provides regular updates to Researchers.
10. Once a tentative agreement is reached at the bargaining table, Researchers vote on whether or not to ratify the agreement to become their new contract.

Once the union is certified, Researchers will elect peer representatives to negotiate aspects of our working conditions with the UW Administration. This process is recognized and protected by state law, and it equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer.

The result of negotiations is a proposed contract, called a tentative agreement, which determines terms and conditions of employment. Researchers will be asked to vote on whether or not to approve the tentative agreement. If approved, it becomes a legally binding contract for Researchers.

Under UAW policy, no UW Researcher will pay dues until after the contract has been negotiated and approved in a democratic vote by Researchers. After our first contract is ratified, each individual Researcher will choose whether to become a member of the union and pay dues, or not. 

Dues in UAW Local 4121 are 1.44% of gross pay received for work covered by the contract. For example, if someone is a 50% Researcher and 50% Program Manager, they would only pay UAW dues on their Researcher salary. Additionally, there is a one-time $10 fee when you become a member. Dues are not paid on the monetary value of benefits, such as health insurance premiums. The dues rate can only be changed in two ways: 1) Through a vote of delegates at the International Union Constitutional Convention (to increase or decrease dues across all of UAW), or 2) By a vote of a unit within Local UAW 4121 (ASEs, Postdocs or Researchers) to increase dues for that unit above the level set at the International Union Constitutional Convention. 

Dues cover all the day-to-day costs of having a strong union and pay for things like negotiation subject experts, legal and grievance representation, staffing, and helping other workers form unions. You can see the financial reports of UAW 4121 here, and a summarized breakdown below. 

A majority of UW ASEs and Postdocs are union members who contribute dues. Their membership is currently covering real costs incurred to help Researchers unionize.

We filed a representation petition for Research Scientist/Engineers A-4 on December 20, 2021 with a majority of these employees having signed union authorization cards. We expected it  could take weeks or months for the Public Employment Relations Commission to certify our bargaining unit via card check before we start bargaining, but UW legal challenges have delayed the process substantially [see our updates].  To expedite the process we’ve asked PERC to certify us through a representation vote: which we expect to take place in May 2022. The bargaining phase will take anywhere from weeks to months. For reference, UW Postdocs successfully formed a union in May 2018 and ratified their first contract in June 2019, while UC Academic Researchers formed their union in April 2019 and ratified their first contract in November 2019

In April 2022, after it became clear that the certification by card check was going to be substantially delayed following UW challenges to the A-4 bargaining unit, we requested that PERC hold a representation vote to more quickly certify the bargaining unit.

We have requested this information from PERC, who are making their determination and should let us know soon.

We have requested this information from PERC, who are making their determination and should let us know soon.are waiting to hear from PERC.

In addition to ensuring the retention payment policy applies to RSEs, the RSE union bargaining committee negotiated a framework allowing other types of pay increases during the contract bargaining period, during which time the University administration is otherwise not permitted to make unilateral changes. This enables RSEs to get in-grade adjustments, promotions, FTE changes, and temporary pay increases during bargaining. The bargaining committee  proposed multiple times to allow merit raises to continue (see full text of our proposals here); however, each time, UW Admin would not agree. As a result merit raises are not part of the agreement and therefore not being applied. At any time the University administration could change their position and agree to our proposal.

The representation petition included Research Scientists/Engineers (RSEs) in A, 1, 2, 3, and 4 titles. You can read the full representation petition here. If you don’t know your job title, you can find that information on Workday or send us an email.

You may have received an email from UW about the representation petition in which UW indicated certain job codes associated with overtime-exempt and non-exempt titles were also to be included. This was a clarification about which job titles fall under Research Scientist/Engineer A, 1, 2, 3, and 4, and does not change the substance of the petition. Please reach out if you have any questions regarding these emails.

If you’re a Research Scientist/Engineer A-4 but haven’t signed a union authorization card, you’re still included in the bargaining unit, and it’s not too late to sign a card! The more Research Scientists/Engineers A-4 who weigh in, the stronger our position in bargaining. You can also fill out our bargaining survey to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard when we develop our bargaining agenda.

Yes! If you are a researcher (such as a Research Coordinator/Consultant, RSE-Sr, RSE-Pr, RSE-SrPr, or other staff performing research) who is not in a Research Scientist/Engineer A-4 job title and want to join the movement to form a union, you can contact us or download an authorization card here.

Not necessarily. During bargaining, Researchers will have access to UW financial information that affects Researchers, which will enable us to collectively draft well-informed and conscientious proposals. By developing thoughtful bargaining proposals and advocating successfully for increased funding levels, unions of academic workers have made significant improvements to their working conditions without decreasing their numbers. As examples:

• UAW 4121 Academic Student Employee wages have increased 50% on average since 2012, while over the same time the number of ASEs employed by UW has remained roughly constant. 
• UAW 4121 Postdoc minimum wages increased from $37,000/year in 2017 to $50,000/year in 2019, and the number of Postdoc positions has remained roughly constant. 
• Bargaining and advocacy by UAW 5810 (the Union of Postdocs and Academic Researchers at the University of California) has resulted in a 34% average wage increase for Postdocs since 2010, while over the same span the number of Postdocs employed by the University of California has increased from 5,800 to 7,000. 

In addition, most union contracts have clauses which prohibit the employer from implementing furloughs or layoffs for arbitrary or discriminatory reasons. Once unionized, Researchers will have significantly more power to protect our jobs through collective action and the protections of a legally binding contract. Researchers, like all workers, deserve fair compensation that reflects the rising costs of living in the Seattle area and is commensurate with our contributions to UW.

Only if we democratically decide it should. Recent contracts negotiated by other UAW academic unions have emphasized protections against excessive workload while allowing flexibility when required. For example:

• UW Postdocs chose not to bargain for an hourly limit to their workload. Instead, the contract for Postdocs at UW protects against excessive, unnecessary workload by stating “work schedules must be reasonable, and related to research needs.”
• The contract for Academic Student Employees at UW protects against excessive workload by setting an hourly limit to the amount of work that may be assigned, but allows work assignments for Research Assistants to exceed their hourly limit if they voluntarily choose to work more hours or that work contributes to their academic work. 
• Postdocs at UC chose to negotiate a contract that provides guaranteed minimums (like minimum salary levels, parental leave, healthcare, personal time off) and job protections (like protection from sexual harassment, discrimination, and unfair termination), but which does not impose a seniority system, strict work hours, or merit based pay increases.
• Academic Researchers at UC negotiated that all researchers must receive merit reviews on time (every 1-3 years). UC must provide Academic Researchers with notice of its decision and an explanation, and approved promotions and merit increases must be effective on July 1 in the year of review.

If you’re interested in getting involved in a bargaining workgroup focused on this topic and preparing initial bargaining demands, please contact us.

No. Washington State Law is clear: “No public employer, or other person, shall directly or indirectly, interfere with, restrain, coerce, or discriminate against any public employee or group of public employees in the free exercise of their right to organize and designate representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of collective bargaining, or in the free exercise of any other right under this chapter.” 

UAW currently represents 80,000 Academic Student Employees, Postdocs, and Researchers in the US, and has represented tens of thousands more over the years. There has never been a recorded instance of an academic worker being retaliated against due to their involvement with a union.

The UW Administration is free to express its opposition to UW employees unionizing, and has done so in the other major organizing drives of UW academic employees. UW opposed the formation of the unions representing Academic Student Employees, Medical Interns and Residents, Postdocs, and Faculty. Although we hope the UW Administration will not oppose Researchers unionizing, it is important to be aware of their record of past behavior. 

The Researcher organizing committee and ASE and Postdoc UAW 4121 members will support Researchers experiencing any form of retaliation. Contact us if you have concerns and questions.

Striking is a last resort tactic, and is rare. Researchers decide democratically if a strike is a necessary action to take. Under the UAW Constitution, two-thirds of those participating in a strike authorization vote must vote yes in order to authorize a strike being called. While a strike is most effective if everyone participates, it is an individual decision whether or not to participate. University of California postdocs, University of California research scientists, Columbia University postdocs and University of Washington postdocs each negotiated their first union contracts without striking.

By collectively bargaining as a union, UW Researchers will elect peer representatives to negotiate as equals with the UW Administration. The result of negotiations is a proposed contract, called a tentative agreement, which determines terms and conditions of employment. Researchers will be asked to vote on whether or not to approve the tentative agreement, and if approved, it becomes a legally binding contract.

Through collective bargaining, academic workers, including the Union of Academic Researchers at UC, have successfully negotiated improvements in wages, benefits, job security, leaves, and many other terms and conditions of employment. In addition to the 5,000 UC Academic Researchers, thousands of other academic workers across the country have formed unions through the UAW, and each union has won increases in pay, benefits, and workplace rights, including workers in similar positions such as the UC Postdocs, Columbia University Postdocs, and Postdocs at the University of Washington.

Without a union contract, UW has unilateral power to change working conditions. In practice, the UW Administration can change the policies of the Professional Staff Program at any time, which currently includes all Researchers. Some recent changes include adding provisions for layoff and furlough in April 2020 and removing compensatory time extensions in November 2019.

UW also decides unilaterally whether to provide merit raises or other salary adjustments, for example, to keep up with the high cost of living in Washington. Merit raises were canceled for the 2020–2021 academic year in May 2020. There were also no merit raises for Professional Staff (including Researchers) for the entire 2009–2012 time period. UW does not provide cost of living raises, and an independent analysis shows that managers choose to pay most Researchers near the bottom of their pay grade.

Unions directly address this on multiple fronts. Contracts typically include a formal grievance process that must be followed when someone is discriminated against or assaulted at work. Unions also function as an ally and powerful counterweight against policies that frequently leave workers vulnerable. UAW 4121, as well as fellow union members, can provide support and guidance, access to legal resources, and assistance navigating the formal grievance process.

UAW 4121 has laid the groundwork for systemic change and improved equity through advocacy on issues impacting members. Here are a few examples of this work: 

1. Throughout 2020, ASEs and Postdoc members of the UAW 4121 International Solidarity Workgroup have successfully advocated and organized for non-citizen worker rights. For example, in July 2020, the workgroup participated in lawsuits, rallied, spoke out, and built public pressure until ICE backed down from its decision to deport international students attending online classes in the fall quarter 2020. 

2. In 2018, ASEs and Postdocs at UW collectively bargained and implemented EPIC (Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities), a sexual harassment training jointly administered by UW and UAW 4121. EPIC is designed to empower Academic Student Employees to identify, prevent, and respond to sexual and gender harassment and discrimination, using intersectional, data-driven, and trauma-informed methods. After going through the training, 97% of participants consistently report that they are likely or very likely to take action to address harassment if it occurs in their workplace. It is unique as a peer-to-peer training; it was created by and for academic student employees and postdocs.

3. In a successful 2016 campaign for trans-equity, ASEs demanded UW comply with the City of Seattle’s all-gender restroom city ordinance. ASEs filed a union grievance, joined a statewide coalition and organized targeted direct actions which led to hundreds of campus bathrooms being converted. Furthermore, as of Spring 2018’s contract between UW and ASEs, health care coverage through GAIP (Graduate Appointee Insurance Program) is fully trans-inclusive.

Yes. UAW academic workers have recently improved their working conditions. For example, 3,500 ASEs at Harvard University and 1,500 Postdocs and Associate Researchers at Columbia University both recently formed unions and successfully bargained and ratified their first contracts in July 2020. 

There will always be factors that constrain our ability to make improvements to our lives and working conditions, but forming a union ensures that we have more power to respond to these factors than if we act as individuals. This is particularly true for more vulnerable Researchers, for whom cuts might be even more serious and impactful.

UAW is the International Union of United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, and has historically been one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America. In recent decades, UAW has become the single largest union for academic workers across the US, representing over 80,000 workers in higher education.  

Notably among these are 5,000 University of California (UC) Academic Researchers. UC Academic Researchers have essentially the same jobs as UW Researchers. Joining the UAW has allowed UC Academic Researchers to democratically determine priorities as a workforce and has dramatically increased their power to win improved rights and benefits through collective bargaining.

In addition, thousands of other academic workers across the country have formed unions through the UAW, and each union has won increases in pay, benefits, and workplace rights. This includes 10,000 Postdocs at UC, Columbia, and UW.

The Local UAW 4121 membership consists of roughly 1,000 UW Postdocs and 5,500 UW Academic Student Employees (graduate and undergraduate students who are hired by the University to do teaching and research work). Each of these groups is a separate unit within UAW 4121 with their own collectively bargained contract. Having the same union represent Researchers, Postdocs, and Academic Student Employees at UW builds power and will allow Researchers to draw on years of UAW experience in representing UW employees.

Yes, tens of thousands of professional researchers have formed unions, including: 

• 1,000 University of Washington Postdocs
• 1,500 Columbia University Postdocs and Academic Researchers
• 5,000 University of California Academic Researchers
• 7,000 University of California Postdocs

Columbia and UC’s Academic Researcher positions are similar to UW’s Researcher positions. The before and after union contract comparison documents for each union is hyperlinked above. Click each to learn how these union’s won significant increases to compensation benefits.

The important advocacy efforts Researchers are involved in—staff affinity groups, the Professional Staff Organization (PSO), 500 Women Scientists, professional societies, and many more—have been instrumental in making improvements to our lives and work. They are a testament to the power of what we can accomplish when we act collectively.  

However, one of a union’s unique powers is the ability to collectively bargain. This process is recognized and protected by state law, and it equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer. Without this right, the UW Administration makes all the decisions about Researcher conditions of employment and only listens to our input when they choose to. Collective bargaining made possible by a union guarantees Researchers a permanent seat at the table when decisions are made.

International Researchers have the same legal right to join a union as U.S. citizens. International workers hold a large portion of leadership positions in UAW 4121, the Union of Academic Student Employees and Postdocs at UW, and are an essential part of the Researcher workforce too.

Visa requirements in no way compromise any Researcher’s right to belong to a union in a U.S. workplace. We are not aware of any complications arising from being both an international researcher and a unionized employee. In fact, many union contracts explicitly offer more rights and protections to international workers than their peers receive without a union.

UW’s visa policies, and specifically those related to H-1B visas, are publicly available here. UW states that Professional Staff, which includes Researchers, do not qualify for H1B sponsorship. While UW’s internal policies state that Researchers will not be sponsored, Researchers are legally eligible for sponsorship by their employer under laws set by the Department of Labor, State, and Homeland Security. In practice, there are known instances of UW Researchers with H-1B sponsorship. The discrepancy here between policy and practice is a great example of something Researchers can address through collective bargaining. If you have ideas about how visa sponsorship should work for Researchers, you are welcome to contact us or reach out to the UAW 4121 International Solidarity Workgroup for more information.

No – the vote is confidential and, like signing an authorization card, there are no known instances of delayed or rejected visa or green card applications due to signing a card or otherwise participating in unionization.

There are over a dozen unions at the University of Washington, representing employees such as medical residents, postdocs, graduate students, nurses, custodians, and many more. 

During the bargaining process, the UW Administration chooses their own bargaining teams (which may differ depending on which union they are negotiating with). The negotiation is overseen by UW Labor Relations (part of Human Resources) but often is ultimately guided by the University President, Provosts, and Vice-Presidents. UW’s bargaining teams must have “authority to bargain,” meaning they must be legally permitted to negotiate over terms and conditions of employment. If past experience bargaining with UW is any indicator, their team will likely include human resources administrators, representatives from campus research offices, and benefits experts (for example, administrators responsible for health care and retirement plans).

As public employees who are funded primarily through federal grants and fellowships, Researchers are directly impacted by political decisions. Science funding, immigration policy, paid family leave, pay equality, and much more are all political issues.

With a union, we have two major forms of power: collective bargaining, which many of these FAQs address, and also having a unified political voice. Participating in a union can allow us to make our voices heard in local, state, and national politics.

For example, legal and organizing resources supported UAW 4121’s contributions to the WA state Attorney General’s lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s discriminatory Travel Ban, both in February and March 2017. In 2016, through UAW member dues, UAW advocated for the inclusion of Postdocs in the 2016 Department of Labor’s overtime ruling resulting in wage increases and new wage standards for Postdocs across the country, including at UW.

Recently, multiple elected national UAW leaders, including former national president Gary Jones, have pleaded guilty to embezzling joint union-management funds and union dues. UAW national leadership has responded by creating an ethics committee, hiring independent auditors, and cooperating with federal investigation authorities. 

The Local UAW 4121 union was not involved or directly impacted by this, and is committed to being a transparent and democratic organization. To read more about dues, please see the above FAQ “Will I have to pay dues if we form a union?”, and read more details in UAW 4121’s public financial reports.

There are many UW positions supporting research and other academic endeavors, and your support in our unionization effort is important and appreciated. A Researcher union will benefit and support our UW colleagues through increasing solidarity and collective power with other UAW 4121 units, pushing for more state and federal research funding, and promoting equity in the workplace.

As examples, UAW has helped prevent devastating research budget cuts during the last recession, fought for stronger policies against sexual harassment and assault, and won protections for international workers during the Muslim Travel Ban. UAW 4121 continues to act on social justice issues and supports rights for all workers. Contact us to learn more and get involved.  

If you’re not based at UW but want to know more about unionizing, you are also welcome to contact us.