June 2, 2023
Strike Preparation
We still don’t have a fair contract and unless that changes, we will strike starting June 7th. Our 80 Strike Captains have been holding Area Meetings around campus and more will be happening on Monday and Tuesday to discuss strike prep. If you haven’t attended a meeting and would like to be connected with a scheduled meeting, email contact@uwresearchersunited.
While we certainly hope we can reach an agreement with UW at our bargaining session this coming Monday, all RSEs should operate under the assumption that we will need to strike on June 7th in order to secure a fair contract.
Here are the three preparations you should make TODAY:
1) Each RSE should sign up for picket line shifts
2) Make a plan with your lab and PI for managing critical priorities during your absence. Below are templates that can be used in communicating with collaborators:
- template email for communicating with collaborators ahead of the strike
- template out of office
- template email for collaborators to send to the UW President, Ana Mari Cauce
3) 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.)
Also, there will be a 
picket prep party
this Saturday from 12pm-finish at the UAW Local 4121 office in Eastlake. We will be assembling and making picket signs, putting together picket line supplies, and coordinating picket line shifts! Please join!
Support from 100+ Faculty (and counting)
UW faculty are calling on UW to pay a living wage! Yesterday, a delegation of UW faculty, Postdocs & RSEs delivered a letter to the Office of the President signed by 100 (and counting) faculty members. Watch Dr. Sharona Gordon’s ( Physiology & Biophysics) powerful remarks:
the picket signs have arrived! Again, picket shift sign up is here.
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 six days, UW RSEs and Postdocs across UW 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