May 25, 2023
Thank you to the hundreds of you who came to our mass action today. This was another great example of our two units’ engagement and mobilization strength. In February, both Research Scientists and Postdocs took strike authorization votes and a supermajority voted yes. We didn’t want this day to come but the RSE and Postdoc bargaining units have each determined that striking is the only path left to win fair contracts for each of our units. Each unit decided on June 7th as our start date for a strike.
Since August 2022, RSEs have been bargaining with UW’s Labor Relations team and we are still far apart on proposals relating to the EPIC anti-harassment training program, a Childcare support fund, and our Compensation needs. We are convinced there are no more gains to be made at bargaining table without disruptive mass action. A strike shows management we are aware of the value of our labor, and are prepared to withhold it in order to win fair contracts.
Here’s how you can prepare for June 7th:
- Make a plan with your lab and PI for managing critical priorities during your absence
- Make sure you know who your strike captain is, if you’re not sure who that is, reach out to contact@uwresearchersunited.
org - Sign up for shifts on the picket line:
- Contribute to our strike fund which will support PDs & RSEs financially burdened by striking: https://givebutter.com/4121-
pdrsestrikesup and please distribute this to your networks - Ask your PI to sign this dear colleague letter urging the UW administration to agree to a proposal to keep Postdocs overtime exempt
- Ask student employee and other colleagues to sign the pledge to honor our picket lines
Below are pics from today’s action. Postdocs and RSEs gathered by Drumheller fountain to discuss why we are striking and to set our strike timeline. We then marched to Gerberding Hall (the administration building), spoke to Margaret Shepherd (Chief of Staff and Chief Administrative Officer to Ana Mari Cauce) about our demands, and held a work-in and strike captain training for the afternoon.
Strike FAQ
We’ve prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Please review and reach out if you have a question that you don’t see answered here.
Since yesterday, we’ve heard some recurring questions and we have created a mailbag to address these questions:
Mailbag – this document is where we’re collecting and answering questions that are coming from RSEs.
We will continue to update the mailbag with new and recurring questions.
Across campus, UW RSEs and postdocs will be leaving the lab and taking their place on the picket line. Together, we will win fair contracts.
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