May 27, 2022
Vote today! Your PIN might be waiting in your UW email account spam folder
Hundreds of Research Scientists/Engineers A-4 have already voted in our representation election. If you haven’t already voted, please do so today! A strong Yes vote will enable us to quickly get to the bargaining table with a strong mandate.
Voting instructions were sent to eligible voters at our UW email addresses on Tuesday May 24, with the following subject line:
Subject: VOTING INSTRUCTIONS – UW Representation Vote; May 25 – June 8
Again, several RSEs are reporting that this email went to spam so don’t forget to check that. You can read more about voting at our Voter Information Center.
Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions
Thank you for writing in with questions about the vote and unionization generally. We’ve compiled some common ones below. Please keep sending them to contact@uwresearchersunited.org and check out our Voter Information Center and our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
I (or someone I know) didn’t receive the email with voting instructions and PIN. How do I get these?
Instructions were sent by Intelivote (the organization administering the vote) to our UW emails. First: check your spam folder. The email came from <voterinfo@intelivote.com> on Tuesday May 24, 2022 in the morning (around 6:20 am). If you still can’t find the instructions or PIN, check to see if you received them via physical mail (the Public Employment Relations Commission [PERC] sent mail to the home addresses on file at UW) or call PERC at 360-370-2220. If you’re still having trouble, contact us at contact@uwresearchersunited.org
It looks like my union eligibility status is being challenged by the University. Am I able to vote?
Yes. Challenged individuals can vote in the same way as non-challenged individuals, however challenged ballots will only be counted if they are determinative of the outcome (that is, if the number of challenged ballots cast is greater than the difference between non-challenged Yes and No votes). You can read more about challenges and eligibility in our Voter Information Center.
I received two emails with voting instructions and two PIN numbers. What do I do?
Call PERC at 360-370-2220. There appears to have been a small number of people who were duplicated on the Election Notice and may have received two PIN numbers. Please let PERC know so they can be sure your vote is accurately counted.
Regarding the 1.44% union dues: are they mandatory and can they be changed? Are there examples of how dues are used?
RSE A-4 won’t pay dues until we’ve democratically approved a contract and no one can be required to pay dues. The dues rate can be changed in two ways: 1) Through a vote of delegates at the International Union Constitutional Convention (to increase or decrease dues across all of UAW), or 2) By a vote of a unit within Local UAW 4121 (ASEs, Postdocs or Researchers) to increase dues for that unit above the level set at the International Union Constitutional Convention. You can see the financial reports of UAW 4121 here, and a summarized breakdown here of how dues support bargaining and advocacy work for represented employees.
Some additional examples of expenses supported through dues paid by current UAW members (such as UW Postdocs and UW Academic Student Employees) include: (a) the costs of having to litigate the University’s hundreds of challenges to this petition (one might also ask how much it is costing Washington state taxpayers to support a state-funded Attorney General, state-funded UW employees, and state-funded agency, PERC); (b) the costs of having to win health insurance coverage for international paid-direct Postdocs after it was unfairly denied; (c) the costs of mobilizing for a free U-Pass for all UW staff; (d) the costs of defeating the ICE directive requiring international students to attend classes in person or face deportation. And more.
Thanks again: don’t forget to vote YES and keep the questions coming!
UWRU/UAW Election Organizing Committee
Thaddeus Armstrong
Jared Bechtel
Jai Broome
Shelly Carpenter
Ivan Cruz
Kellie Dunn
Abby Gambrill
Sharon Garrett
Victor Han
Phil Hurvitz
Maddie Jones
Eli Kaufman
Julia Kobelt
Cara Margerhio
Deborah Nemens
Katie Osterhage
Daniel Pfalmer
Van Redila
Sam Richardson
Jacob Tietsort
Amanda Winans
Tricia Wu