PD caregiver fund submissions due March 29 | RSEs, get familiar with a “TPI” | and more

Feb 15, 2024 | Membership Updates

Local 4121 Announcements

Academic Student Employees – Bargaining Update

  • Bargaining Power Blitz: Membership-a-looza Week 2. We can win our demands through sustained collective action. Signing up the majority of your coworkers for union membership is the most fundamental form of collective action! Join your fellow union members for an hour this Thursday (2/15) starting at 1pm to sign up more ASE members; there are in-person and remote options.
  • Our next bargaining session with UW Admin is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20th. Bargaining sessions are open to all ASE members – fill out the bargaining RSVP form for updates and information on how to attend, including ways to get involved in bargaining sessions.

Postdocs, enroll now in the UAW 4121 Caregiver Fund

If you are a postdoc and you plan to enroll in the caregiver fund, a reminder that the enrollment period ends on March 29th. Please review the enrollment eligibility and enroll to receive funds here by that deadline. If you’ve enrolled in the past, no further action is needed unless you would like to make changes. If you have any questions, you can always email the Family Friendly Working Group at familyfriendly@uaw4121.org.

Slack

Reminder that we have a Slack workspace for all 4121 members! You can join by filling out this form.

Local 4121 Meetings, Trainings, and Working Group Updates

February Membership Recap 
Our monthly membership meetings are the 2nd Thursday of the month at 5pm. At our February meeting, we:

  • Approved our local’s financial report from 2023 and the budget for 2024
  • The elections committee announced that there will be a steward election in March; nominations will open on February 19th and details are forthcoming.
  • Reviewed organizing updates for each unit
  • Heard report-backs from members who attended the “Stand Up For Our Future” UAW National CAP Conference
  • Received an update from the political working group

Contract Corner

Temporary Pay Increase (relevant to Research Scientists/Engineers)
A group of RSEs recently won a TPI (temporary pay increase) as outlined in section 42.8 of our RSE contract. In addition to the duties this group was hired to do, these individuals are currently covering the lab duties of their lab manager over an extended period of 6 months. The RSEs asked for increased pay over the duration that they would be covering the position. There was considerable back and forth between the RSEs and the department administration, however department admin finally agreed to the proposed 5% pay raise for the period the RSEs would be filling the position. If you think you qualify for a TPI, please reach out to contract enforcement (contractenforcement@uaw4121.org) to discuss how to pursue getting the pay you deserve!

This time last year! 

We’ve made quite a lot of progress since this time last year! On Feb 16th 2023, Postdocs and Research Scientists held a Strike Authorization Vote to authorize the bargaining team to call a strike if circumstances warranted. A resounding majority voted “Yes”!

infographic detailing the results of the Strike Authorization Vote. Text states: 96.33% voting yes on postdocs who voted, 91.7% voting yes of RSEs who voted.

The Strike Authorization Vote results were shared on Twitter and Instagram this time last year.

Fur-One-Two-One Pet of the Week

Mochi (or Mwaji in Taiwanese) is the master and fur baby of Tricia, an RSE in the Department of Biological Structure. Tricia researches how antibiotics and cancer medications damage the hair cells that are responsible for detecting sound in your ears! Becoming a wrecking ball during RSE bargaining Zoom sessions was a guilty pleasure of Mochi’s! He also enjoys getting his cheeks brushed, staring at birds outside, and inhaling Churu treats. Mochi stands on all four paws in solidarity with the ASEs currently bargaining for an even more purrfect contract. ✊

the head of a very soft looking black cat with yellow eyes

In Solidarity,
Justin Applegate
Luci Baker
Rebecca Bluett
Brant Bowers
Francesca Colonnese
Natasha Crepeau
Iván Cruz
Pat Erickson
Brendy Fountaine
Max Friedfeld
Abby Gambrill
Connor Gettings
Soohyung Hur
Levin Kim
Peter Lindquist
Avi Matarasso
Nicel Mohamed-Hinds
Deborah Nemens
Nelson Niu
Katie Osterhage
Marissa Parker
Sarah Pristash
Mara Rafferty
Tahiyat Rahman
Anastasia Schaadhardt
Natalie Wellen
Ryan Will
Jayden Wood
Tricia Wu
Yuying Xie
Candice Young