UAW 4121

Election Response Work Group 

As vote counts inch towards a Biden victory, Trump has continued to encourage violence and whip up his supporters by calling counts illegitimate. Last night members of our union hit the streets alongside our broader community to demand that every vote is counted, and as a show of strength against the reactionary forces that Trump is trying to mobilize. Whatever the outcome of the election, in the coming days, we will need to continue to organize and take action, including taking to the streets, in order to win much-needed justice on issues like housing, anti-racism, police accountability, healthcare, and the environment. 

For more information and opportunities to get involved, check out the Election Response Action & Resource Center.

November Membership Meeting

Our next membership meeting will be Thursday 11/12 from 5-6pm, and will be conducted via Zoom. RSVP here for the Zoom information. The proposed agenda for the meeting is as follows:

  • Approve agenda
  • Approve minutes 
  • Postdoc bargaining
  • Academic Student Employee bargaining
  • US national election response
  • UAW 4121 Elections Committee 
  • Organizing trainings
  • Workgroup events
  • Adjourn 

Any member who would like to propose additional agenda items or submit materials for the meeting is welcome to email uaw4121@uaw4121.org by 5pm on Wednesday, 11/11. All members in good standing are encouraged to attend, and anyone who is not yet a member can sign up here beforehand.

Postdocs – Take the Bargaining Survey Today!

Postdoc bargaining starts tomorrow! Postdocs, please take a few minutes now to complete the 2020 Postdoc bargaining survey and add your name to the Initial Bargaining Demands

Every Postdoc’s input is needed to ensure that our bargaining agenda is responsive to Postdocs’ needs and will also send a strong message that our voices must be heard. Please reach out to uaw4121@uaw4121.org if you have any questions or want to get involved!

Housing Justice Working Group

On Wednesday, November 11th at 6pm, the Housing Justice Workgroup will be co-hosting a Tenant Rights Bootcamp with Be:Seattle. Please RSVP here! The Tenant Rights Bootcamp is a workshop that will give you all the information you need to know about your rights as a tenant in Seattle: everything from moving in, during your tenancy, moving out, and fighting evictions. Join us at this important event and learn how to assert your rights! Find out more about Be:Seattle’s Bootcamps here. Again, you can RSVP here to join us on November 11th!

In an effort to get a better sense of how COVID-19 is affecting our members’ housing stability, the UAW 4121 Housing Justice Working Group has also created this quick poll. Please take a minute today to fill it out, and email housing-justice@uaw4121.org for more information and to get involved.

Now Hiring! Postdoc EPIC Trainer

Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities is hiring a new Postdoc training specialist! The EPIC program is an innovative peer-to-peer harassment prevention training program jointly run between our union and the university, and was a major win from the most recent ASE and Postdoc contracts.

The Postdoctoral Scholar Training Specialist position will have the opportunity to work with a team to develop, implement, and evaluate the Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities (EPIC) program. The Training Specialist is a 20% FTE position. This position focuses on working with the UW Postdoctoral Scholar community and will build on the EPIC program that was originally developed in 2018-2019. The Training Specialist will facilitate trainings and support the wellbeing and safety of the University of Washington community. The training program includes information regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, intersectional power dynamics, bystander intervention strategies, response options, UW policies and procedures, and union rights. You can apply on UW HiresUW Requestion #183371

Third Thursday Anti-Discrimination Workshops

What: Anti-Discrimination Working Group workshops “Handling Microaggressions as a TA” at 5:30pm and “Departmental Organizing” at 6:30pm PST
When: Thurs 11/19 (and every third Thursday!)
How to join: RSVP at www.tiny.cc/antidiscrim

UAW 4121’s Anti-Discrimination Working Group is offering a series of workshops that hope to go beyond the basics of anti-discrimination 101 trainings. These modules are intended to empower Academic Student Employees (ASEs) and Postdocs with the tools to reflect on, grow, and develop their anti-discrimination practice in order to influence change within themselves and promote a more inclusive, equitable and just place for us to learn and work. Workshops will be offered monthly via Zoom on the third Thursday of each month to all ASEs and Postdocs. UW students who aren’t ASEs are also warmly welcome.

Note: If you’re looking for foundational resources to introduce you to key concepts, you can visit our webpage on Racial Justice resources.

Attention Postdoc Caregivers!

The Postdoc Family Friendly Working Group (familyfriendly@uaw4121.org)  has finalized a reimbursement system for the $30,000 Postdocs won for caregivers in our first contract. Funds will be distributed in December for postdoc caregivers who have worked at UW anytime from January through December of 2020. Please fill out this form by November 15th to be considered for reimbursement. Eligibility and amounts given will be need-based and determined after all responses are collected.

In solidarity,

Douglas Avella-Castro
Leandro Casiraghi
Amanda Clouser
Monica Cortés Viharo
Max Friedfeld
Vern Harner
Dan Hart
Amzi Jeffs
Sam Kastner
Kyle Kubler
Kristin McCowan
Emily Myers
Anzela Niraula
Jacob O’Connor
Elena Pandres
Nayon Park
Marissa Parker
David Parsons
Shua Sanchez
Paige Sechrest
Solmaz Shakerifard
Sam Sumpter
Judy Twedt