December 20, 2021
We have great news! A majority of UW Research Scientist/Engineers A-4 have signed union authorization cards, and today we submitted our representation petition and unit description to PERC (Public Employment Relations Commission) in order to be certified as a union. We also sent a letter to UW President Ana Mari Cauce signed by more than 80 RSE A-4 from 54 departments, notifying her and the administration of our petition and requesting recognition.
This is a big step forward in our campaign, which started more than a year ago and has featured thousands of one-to-one conversations initiated by well over 200 Researchers. We’ve discussed the merits of unionizing, the need for researchers to have an equal voice in determining our working conditions, the need to take on some of the big issues facing our university and workforce, and the benefits other unionized academic workers have won through their unions. We’re proud to have organized successfully even during the pandemic. While we continue to reach out to RSE colleagues with whom we haven’t connected, and while researchers in other titles continue to organize (hundreds of Research Coordinators, Research Consultants, and RSE Seniors and Principals have signed union authorization cards and that number is growing!) we are ready to take the next step toward negotiating a contract with UW administration.
Now that PERC has our petition and cards, they will request a list from UW to verify that the submitted cards are valid. UW will have the opportunity to weigh in as to whether they have any objections or issues with the bargaining unit, and then – once those are resolved – PERC can certify us as a union and we can start to bargain with UW Administration. In the meantime we have a lot to do. In the coming weeks and months we will fill out detailed bargaining surveys, elect a bargaining committee, and then begin to draft our initial bargaining proposals. We will hold a vote to ratify our initial proposals before we meet with UW Admin.
If you haven’t signed your authorization card yet, you still can (and should)! PERC will continue to take cards until final certification, and the more of us who weigh in, the stronger our position in bargaining.
If you have any questions about the petition, or anything else related to the process, please email us at contact@uwresearchersunited.org. We also are planning a social in January for everyone who has participated in the campaign thus far so we can celebrate this step, reflect on what’s next, and jump into the next stage of our campaign.
Thank you for your continued participation and support!
In celebration and solidarity,
The UW Researchers United Organizing Committee
Jai Broome, Medical Genetics
Iván Cruz, Biological Structure
Max Friedfeld, Chemistry
Abby Gambrill, Physiology & Biophysics
Cara Margherio, CERSE
Christopher B. Morrison, Astronomy
Annelise Smith, Center for the Study of Health & Risk Behaviors
Tricia Wu, Biological Structure