We’re Forming a Union!

Research Coordinators and Research Consultants are continuing to organize to form a union at UW! Our colleagues – Research Scientists/Engineers A through 4 – bargained their first contract with incredible wins. Their success is inspiring, and a broad group of us is committed to forming a union and working hard to reach strong majority support. Have questions or want to get more involved? Contact us.​

Meet the Organizing Committee

Rachel Erstad (she/her)

Labor Studies

Before coming to UW to work at the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, I worked as a Researcher and Organizer at a labor union. I supported healthcare workers in forming their unions and making the changes they needed at work. I was also in a Staff Union and saw the importance of ALL workers being unionized, and having the ability to come together collectively for raises that recruit and retain, staffing that makes sense, and equitable treatment. I am excited to come together with my fellow Research Coordinators and Research Consultants to have the best workplace possible at UW!

Katelyn Costanza (they/she)

UW Medicine, Neurology

I work as a research coordinator in the UW medicine neurology department running clinical trials for new treatments for brain tumor patients. I support unionizing research coordinators and consultants at UW to ensure equitable compensation and adequate staffing that facilitates high quality research.

Jared Bechtel (he/him)

Division of Population Health, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science

I research how to implement treatments for complex mental health disorders in pragmatic, primary care settings. There is so much amazing research being done and we need ways to better advocate to accomplish our goals in an equitable and safe manner. That is why I support unionizing researchers. The university has a seat at the table. Why not us?

Michaela Blanchard

Allergy and Infectious Disease
Due to our varied projects and departments, it can be easy to feel siloed from other research coordinators. Besides the important reasons of higher pay and better benefits, I also hope to develop a sense of community with other researchers at University of Washington. I know there are resources we all have individual knowledge and access to that other teams are completely unaware of, and by fostering a community I believe we can improve the quality and impact of work we are doing, while also ensuring fair and equal treatment across departments.

Jerry Savage

School of Social Work

As a Research Coordinator conducting research on disadvantaged youth through a social justice lens, I want to ensure my colleagues and I are treated fairly and equitably. A union will help us achieve this fundamental goal.

Karen Segar (she/her)

UW Medicine and School of Social Work

I have two decades of experience in research consultant and research coordinator positions at UW contributing to studies in public health and the social sciences. I have also held union jobs in other organizations, and I support unionization at UW because I have seen first hand how unions stand up for their members under challenging circumstances (like the Great Recession) and I know that research shows unionized workers are better compensated than their non-unionized peers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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On 12/20/2021 Research Scientists/Engineers A-4 filed a petition with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) seeking certification as a bargaining unit of these job titles with a majority of having signed union authorization cards.

Who can be part of this union? Is there a deadline for signing an authorization card?

People in job titles including Research Coordinator and Research Consultant have expressed strong support for forming a union at UW, and are continuing to organize. You are encouraged to sign an authorization card to help reach majority support. 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.

What is the process to form a union and bargain a contract?
  1. Research Coordinators and Consultants form an organizing committee to gather information and make a plan to form a union.
  2. At least a majority of Researcher Coordinators and Consultants (50% + 1) sign authorization cards indicating they would like to join 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, along with a representation petition stating that we want to be certified/recognized as a union so we can collectively bargain with our employer.   At this time, the University of Washington becomes subject to a “Dynamic Status Quo” requirement, which is a legal framework to ensure that workers can’t be penalized or rewarded for forming a union, and prohibits the employer from making changes to terms and conditions that they hadn’t regularly made or approved before the petition was filed. Note that this is not the same as a freeze (UW is legally obligated to continue existing practices) and a quick certification period will ensure that few if any issues are likely to arise.  
  4. PERC requests a list of employees in the petitioned-for titles from UW, and can either use this to verify that the submitted cards are valid and represent a majority or can order a separate balloted vote. PERC certifies UW Researchers United / UAW 4121 as a union, and Researcher Coordinators and Consultants can begin bargaining with the UW Administration.
  5. Research Coordinators and Consultants  elect a bargaining committee comprised of Coordinators/Consultants, who will work with other experienced UAW representatives in negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.
  6. Research Coordinators and Consultants fill out surveys, hold discussions, request information from UW Administration, and gather feedback to draft initial bargaining demand documents.
  7. These initial bargaining demands are sent to all Researchers for review, and Research Coordinators and Consultants vote on whether to move ahead with them.
  8. The bargaining committee negotiates as equals with the UW Administration, and provides regular updates to Research Coordinators and Consultants.
  9. Once a tentative agreement is reached at the bargaining table, Research Coordinators and Consultants vote on whether or not to ratify the agreement to become their new contract.
What is the timeline for unionization?

We hope that we can file our representation petition and then win a strong first contract 6-9 months afterward.  However other groups seeking the same thing have had to overcome delays by the University: for example, UW RSEs filed a petition in December 2021, completed the certification process in June 2022, and ratified their first contract June 2023.  UW Postdocs filed in October 1027, completed certification in May 2018, and ratified their first contract in June 2019.  The more of us who actively participate, the more power we have to overcome delays.

I’m a Research Study Coordinator—will I be included?

Research Study Coordinators 1&2 (Job Codes 17868 and 17869) and Research Study Coordinator Leads (17870) are already protected by the strong Classified Staff SEIU 925 contract.  Our campaign is for Research Coordinators and Research Consultants who are considered Research Professional Staff and not currently unionized.  We are working closely with Research Scientist/Engineers A-4, who are also part of the Research Professional Staff series and recently won their union affiliated with UAW Local 4121.

I’ve heard that forming a union makes it so that my supervisor can’t provide improvements, like pay increases and promotions.

If a majority of Research Coordinators and Consultants successfully organize and file a representation petition, the University must enter what is called a “dynamic status quo” period. This is a short-term legal measure to ensure that workers can’t be penalized or rewarded for forming a union, and prohibits the employer from making changes to terms and conditions that they hadn’t regularly made or approved before the petition was filed. This is not the same as a freeze, and UW is legally obligated to continue existing practices.  If for example, your supervisor had committed to give you a pay increase prior to a union petition being filed, they must follow through with that commitment.

Problems can arise during the Dynamic Status Quo period when the employer stalls the process of recognizing the union: sometimes by delaying the provision of information, sometimes by challenging inclusion in the bargaining unit, sometimes by claiming that they are unavailable for any meetings.  UW Research Scientist/Engineers had to overcome this by requesting that PERC hold a representation vote to more quickly certify the bargaining unit, even though a substantial majority of RSEs had submitted authorization cards and could have been certified by card check.  UW Postdocs had to overcome this by staging a work-in in the UW President’s office.  The takeaway is that forming a union – and winning a fair contract – requires us to re-assert our majority demands multiple times and sometimes through visible direct action.

If you have questions about your conditions being impacted, or hear of any situation where you believe incorrect decisions are being made, please reach out immediately so we can help ensure the status quo legal standard is being correctly interpreted and applied.