Voting yes means you are authorizing our bargaining committee to call a strike should circumstances warrant. Striking is a last resort, and the bargaining committee would only recommend striking if it believed that it was the only way to achieve a strong contract. For example, if the University continues to refuse to make progress toward a fair agreement, then we would seriously consider a strike.

Most strike authorization votes do not result in an actual strike. But if and when we do authorize a strike, we will continue to prepare to maximize the chances that our strike is successful if a strike is needed.

The short answer is a lot. Specific impacts at UW include:

• 2001: SAV and strike led to a change in state law that obligated UW to bargain with Academic Student Employees (ASEs).  This law in turn formed the basis for legislation applying to Washington State University ASEs, UW and WSU Postdocs, and now ASEs at regional universities.  SAV and strike moved UW to stop opposing legislation that would provide a bargaining framework for ASEs (which formed the basis for legislation for WSU ASEs, UW Postdocs, and now ASEs at regional universities).
• 2004: SAV led to the negotiation of the first ASE CBA. Bargaining the entire contract took five weeks
• 2011: SAV (and a sit in) led to the creation of the childcare fund in the ASE CBA, which then was adopted by Postdocs and Medical Residents
• 2015: SAV led to the waiver of one of the major student fees, reducing out of pocket costs for ASEs
• 2018: SAV also got UW to move +2% in wages proposal for ASEs. On eve of 1-day strike ASEs won paid orientation, trans-affirming health care, waived mental health deductibles, establishment of equity survey, and the EPIC program (anti sexual harassment training program) 
• 2023: UW Librarians won a first contract with multiple gains after 16 months of bargaining after two SAVs, a one-day strike, and the credible threat of a second strike.

International and undocumented workers can participate in union activities like striking, just as domestic workers do. Thousands of international workers—Academic Student Employees, Postdocs, and Research Scientists and Engineers—have been members of, participated in, and served in elected officer roles of their UAW unions here at UW and across Washington state.

Strikes by public employees in Washington are not prohibited by law. The statute governing ASE collective bargaining neither prohibits strikes by public employees nor grants the express right to strike. Many public sector unions in Washington—including our own—can and do hold strike authorization votes and go on strike. Many teacher strikes have happened in Washington State. At UW: in 2001, a huge majority of UW Academic Student Employees (ASEs) struck without getting fined or disciplined and without the union being sued. In 2018 the same was true with another ASE one day strike, and in 2022 a UW Librarians one day strike. As with all other union action, our solidarity and willingness to be public is our best protection: there is strength in numbers. We’ll work to support each other and work with UAW leadership and other representatives to navigate legal or other challenges as they arise.

When ASEs withhold our labor, UW will be forced to correct its unjust behavior or cease to function as a top tier research university. The more of us who participate, the more collective power we will have.

Mass participation on picket lines will also create a crisis for UW. When we demonstrate our solidarity publicly while withholding our labor, Admin will have to answer for their conduct, particularly when other workers who serve campus honor our picket lines, and community allies and others with influence over the University weigh in and demand that the University negotiate a fair agreement.

No, neither the University nor any University employee is allowed to retaliate against you for exercising your right to participate in lawful union activity, in any aspect of your relationship with the University. Striking has no bearing on your visa or immigration status and is not considered political activity. Furthermore, student visa status is only dependent on maintaining good status as a student; it is not dependent on ASE employment or activity related to ASE employment, like striking.

As with all other union action, our solidarity and willingness to be public is our best protection. In other words: they’d have to take on all of us in order to take on one of us.

ASEs have the right to strike. UW also has the right to not pay us for the work we don’t do while on strike. In the event of a strike, ASEs who complete our strike duties will be eligible for $500 per week of strike pay from the UAW strike fund.