May 2, 2023
Rally at the South Lake Union Campus
Thank you to the 100+ Research Scientists, Postdocs, and community members who attended our Fair Contracts NOW Rally yesterday in SLU! You can watch excerpts from several of the speeches here.
In just the past week, 500+ of us have shown up to rally and demonstrate we are ready to do what it takes to ensure the demands of Research Scientists and Postdocs are met.
Where We are in Bargaining
- We’ve participated in 28 bargaining sessions since August of 2022. You can see information about the 44 articles/MOUs we’ve reached agreement on and what we have already tentatively won here.
- You can see an overview of the remaining articles that we are negotiating here.
- We are back at the bargaining table this Friday for our 29th bargaining session. If you’d like to attend, please email contact@uwresearchersunited.
org.
What’s Next and What You Can Do!
If you weren’t able to make it to either rally in the past week, there are still many things you can do to help, whether you work on campus or you work remotely. It is going to take participation from each and every one of us to win the fair contracts we deserve.
First: there is an upcoming action you can attend, on Thursday, 5/11, at noon. We will be offering public comment at the UW Board of Regents meeting. Please RSVP here so we can get a head count of attendees. If you haven’t attended an action yet, this is an easy one to start with; all you have to do is show up and observe.
Second: there are three things you can do at your computer in the next 5 minutes:
Sign on to this letter that will be distributed to Department Chairs
email this form letter to the faculty you work with to make sure they are aware of what is happening
Share how a fair contract will impact your life via a Fair Contracts NOW profile
As we shared last week, until we see progress, we will continue to escalate; this means preparing for a work stoppage. It is our sincere hope that UW Administration will stop breaking the law, bargain in good faith with us, and that strike preparation work will never have to be used.
That said, third, these are the ways you can help prepare for a strike, should it be necessary:
Sign up to be a strike captain. This simply means that you would commit to talking with the RSEs and PDs in your lab/center/area and helping with strike logistics (shifts, signs, picket lines). The bargaining committee is providing the training.
If you are able, donate to our strike fund or share this link with your network. In the event of a strike, this fund will be used to supplement the strike support that RSEs would receive from the UAW strike fund.
Share this Pledge to Not Cross the Picket Line with other UW community members
Upcoming UAW Local 4121 Events
Saturday, 5/6 – Sunday, 5/7: UAW Region 6 Social Justice Conference – “An Injury to One Is an Injury to All”
5/6 & 5/7, Mary Gates Hall
The UAW Region 6 conference on issues of social justice, “An Injury to One Is an Injury to All” will take place May 6-7 at UW! The conference is open to all RSEs: register and find more information here, and spread the word to your respective departments! This is a crucial opportunity for all members to shape our collective priorities, values, and agenda around social justice issues that we want to work on in our movement. This is a critical opportunity to collaborate and strategize between RSEs, Postdocs, and ASEs as the contract campaigns and escalations continue. Please RSVP today, and email solidarity@uaw4121.org with any questions.
Solidarity and Political Actions
The Rally to Defend the Right to Strike being organized by Workers Strike Back is taking place from 10:00am to 12:00pm on Saturday, May 6 in front of the Federal Courthouse (700 Stewart St.). More information here, and reach out to solidarity@uaw4121.org with questions and information on getting involved in organizing around this issue.
Stay Informed
Stay up to date with our latest news and actions by following our social media accounts: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and also, reach out if you have any questions.
Additionally, if you’d like to keep up with what’s happening more broadly than just our Research Scientist unit, check out the UAW 4121 email updates. Also we are part of UAW Region 6, which represents over 100,000 people across 9 states.
In solidarity,
UWRU/UAW Bargaining Committee
Thaddeus Armstrong
Nick Bolten
Jai Broome
Erin Carll
Morgan Crotta
Iván Cruz
Abby Gambrill
Jay Mas Gilvydis
Anya Kalata
Julia Kobelt
Katherine Lasdin
Ellen MacLachlan
Katie Osterhage
Deborah Nemens
Van Redila
Annelise Smith
Galen Stewart
Jacob Tietsort
Stacey Wedlake
Ryan Will
Tricia Wu