May 26, 2023
As you hopefully read yesterday, we set a strike date of June 7th. Check out the coverage from Kiro 7, The Daily, and The Stand. Also see below for more snapshots from the action!
Here’s how you can get ready to strike starting on June 7th:
Be prepared & get connected:
- Make a plan with your lab and PI for managing critical priorities during your absence.
- Make sure you know who your strike captain is, and if you’re not sure who that is, reach out to contact@uwresearchersunited.
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Sign up to be on the picket lines: keep an eye out for more information to come in the next few days.
Talk with your colleagues about the importance of their solidarity & support:
- Ask your PI to sign this Dear Colleague letter urging the UW administration to agree to a proposal to keep Postdocs overtime exempt
- Ask Academic Student Employees and other colleagues to sign the Pledge to Respect Picket Lines
- Contribute to our strike fund which will support PDs & RSEs financially burdened by striking & share with your networks. Encourage folks to donate $41.21 in solidarity! (Our union is UAW 4121.)
Bargaining Update
As of the conclusion of today’s bargaining session, below is an overview of the differences between our compensation proposal and management’s. We maintained our proposals for a Childcare Fund and the peer-led harassment prevention training program, EPIC. Our next bargaining session is scheduled for June 5th. Email contact@uwresearchersunited.
Additional Resources: Strike FAQ, Mailbag, Bargaining Center
- FAQs: Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for answers to common questions about the upcoming strike. If you have a question that you don’t see answered here, reach out to contact@uwresearchersunited.
org. - Mailbag: Additional recurring questions & answers will be collected and answered in this ‘mailbag’ document. We will continue to update this document with new and recurring questions.
- Bargaining Center: Proposals, updates, and more are available at this Bargaining Center.
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 twelve days, UW RSEs and Postdocs across campus will be coming together on the picket lines. Together, we can – and we will – win fair contracts.
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