March 29, 2022
Town Hall: Thursday April 7, 4-5 p.m. Zoom
Getting UW Researchers to the bargaining table
RSVP: https://form.jotform.com/220756542758060
On December 20, 2021, we sent a letter to President Cauce signed by a representative group of 85 Research Scientist/Engineers A-4 from virtually every department and hiring unit, stating:
“As part of the growing national movement of researchers to form unions, we believe that the establishment of an equal bargaining relationship and a democratic decision-making process for determining our working conditions will better enable us to address the problems we face as a group. … These include inconsistent and unequal compensation, systemic inequalities in hiring and promotion, discrimination, harassment, inability to meet child/family care obligations, and job security.” [https://uwresearchersunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Notification-of-Union-Representation-Petition.pdf ]
More than three months later, these issues remain unaddressed as we seek recognition of our democratic choice to collectively bargain (read more in our recent updates [https://uwresearchersunited.org/email-digest/ ]). At our Town Hall, we’ll hear stories from UW Researchers that illustrate the urgent need for bargaining, as well as insights from other unionized employees at UW about how they navigated similar delays through collective action.
Please attend this important discussion to learn more about what needs to be done and get your questions answered. RSVP here: https://form.jotform.com/220756542758060
Reminders: To-Do Items
If you haven’t yet done so, please fill out your:
- Job Duties Attestation [ https://form.jotform.com/220486354085054 ] – 2 minutes. This short form asks if you have supervisory or managerial duties for other RSEs that don’t require anyone else’s approval. Completing it helps demonstrate to UW administration that most RSEs do not have these duties and belong in our bargaining unit. Pro Tip: Check all three boxes if you need to consult with your Supervisor/PI to hire/fire other Research Scientists or perform other supervisory/managerial duties. Think you might be a manager/supervisor or are not sure? Contact us! [contact@uwresearchersunited.org]
- Bargaining Survey [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UWRUBargain22] – 15 minutes. Give your input about what our top priorities should be in our first collective bargaining agreement.
In solidarity,
The UW Researchers United Organizing Committee