Monthly ASE Organizing Strategy Meeting: 12/19 at 5:30pm
RSVP here to join fellow ASEs from across departments at the December ASE Organizing Strategy Meeting on Monday, 12/19 at 5:30pm over Zoom and in-person. Building on conversations at the October and November ASE Organizing Strategy Meetings, we will be discussing and mapping out concrete strategies to build power with each other across departments over the upcoming quarter and beyond. Bring your ideas, questions, and energy & spread the word in your departments! RSVP here, and keep an eye out for additional organizing trainings and strategy meetings in the coming year. Email ase-organizing@uaw4121.org with any questions and to get involved.
Housing 4 The People Rally – 1/11 at 4:30pm, Red Square
Last September, UW administration announced a plan to privatize four housing complexes, including two family housing units (Blakely Village and Laurel Village) that primarily serve graduate students with families. As discussed at the Rally for Housing Justice last October, this decision will not only displace current residents but will also have long-lasting effects for current and future members by eliminating affordable housing options, driving up housing costs, and setting the stage for further privatization of student housing units. Learn more and sign this petition calling on the UW Regents to build housing for people, not for profit.
RSVP here to join the Housing Justice Working Group, tenant organizers, and community housing justice organizations and advocates on Red Square at the Housing 4 The People Rally outside of the first UW Board of Regents meeting of 2023 on January 11th at 4:30pm. Get involved in organizing around this critical issue by connecting with others in your department, signing up for pair up and talk with tenants, and more – reach out to the Housing Justice Working Group at housing-justice@uaw4121.org for more information.
Yesterday’s Action for RSE & Postdoc Bargaining
Yesterday, hundreds of Postdocs and Research Scientist/Engineers A-4 (RSEs) gathered in conference rooms and lecture halls across campus to rally together and join the bargaining session with UW Admin. In the rally between bargaining sessions, we discussed updates from Postdoc and RSE bargaining; UW’s bargaining delay tactics for both units; and the current uncertainty many RSEs are facing because of changes to their working conditions management initiated without bargaining.
Both Postdocs and RSEs are taking on serious issues in bargaining – including securing fair compensation that reflects increased costs of living, strong protections against all form of discrimination, expansion of the EPIC program, and more. (Check out coverage on Postdoc bargaining from UW’s The Daily!) While UW admin has made some progress on Postdoc wages in recent weeks, they still have not made sufficient movement on multiple key issues for each unit, and they have been creating significant delays in reaching agreement on RSEs’ first contract.
If we want to win fair contracts, we’re going to need to continue organizing to make sure management knows members are united and ready to take action. Please plan to join a mass meeting in early January to collectively decide on next steps – RSVP here.
Find more info about bargaining at the Postdoc Bargaining Center and Research Scientist Bargaining Center. And as always, all members are welcome & encouraged to join bargaining sessions.
UAW Runoff Elections & Re-Establishment of Region 6
On Monday, eleven new members of the UAW International Executive Board (IEB) were sworn into office (check out the full election results). With this swearing in, UAW Region 6 – comprising Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawai‘i – was officially re-established. The re-establishment of the region is a direct result of years of collective efforts by UAW members across the Western States to organize new workers and increase transparency and democracy in our union. With this new region, we will have greater opportunities to directly coordinate with and grow power alongside other UAW Locals in the region – including higher ed workers at the University of California and Cal State, and more, as well as workers in auto, aerospace, parts manufacturing, gaming, and more.
As a reminder, runoff elections will be held in January for the offices of IEB President and the third Vice President position. Rules and details around the run-off election will be forthcoming, but it is anticipated that ballots will be mailed to members starting on January 12, 2023 and the deadline for the return of those ballots will be February 28, 2023. To ensure you receive your ballot, please make sure the mailing address you have on file is up to date by filing out this form no later than today, December 15, 2022.
Find more information about the election process, eligibility to vote, and more on the IEB Elections page on our website and on the Federal Monitor’s Elections page. As with the first round of voting, our Organizing Committees will be conducting a number of GOTV efforts to reach out to fellow UAW 4121 members and encourage everyone to participate in the runoff election. To get involved with this work, email ase-organizing@uaw4121.org.
The Higher Ed Labor Movement Keeps Growing!
Around the country, more and more higher ed workers are recognizing the power of a union, and are organizing to win a real say in their working and living conditions. The more workers in higher ed who are organized, the more power we all have to win changes on systemic issues in academia like securing livable wages and benefits, addressing harassment and discrimination, and more. Check out a few examples of updates from new organizing drives in just the last few weeks:
Additionally, Academic Student Employees (UAW 2865) and Student Researchers (SRU-UAW) at the University of California continue their strike – now extending into its 5th week. UC Admin has recently begun saying they will dock pay for striking workers, and our colleagues need all the solidarity they can get to win! Check out a few ways you can help here, and if you haven’t already, please consider contributing to the strike fund.
In Solidarity,
Justin Applegate
Ana Bennett
Erica Bigelow
Nick Bolten
Jonathan Fisher
Max Friedfeld
Colleen Hoffman
Levin Kim
Avi Matarasso
Nicel Mohamed-Hinds
Emily Myers
Amal Nanavati
Anzela Niraula
Marissa Parker
Mara Rafferty
Tahiyat Rahman
Anastasia Schaadhart
Audrey Seo
Jer Steeger
Sam Sumpter
Samantha Thompson
Natalie Wellen
Tricia Wu
Yuying Xie |
