Welcome!

UAW members in blue shirts march with "UAW on Strike" picket signs, with Mt. Rainier in the background

ASEs on strike for a fair contract, May 2024

 

Congratulations on your appointment at the University of Washington, and welcome to UAW 4121, the Union of Academic Student Employees (ASEs), Postdoctoral Scholars, and Research Scientists & Engineers A-4 at UW! As academic workers, we are critical to the university’s core mission as a center for instruction and research. We work in labs, teach classes, and conduct cutting-edge research — in short, UW works because we do. Over the past 20 years, we have a strong tradition of organizing to advance members’ priorities around social impact, equity, and working conditions. 

Read more about our history and impact from UW’s student-run newspaper, The Daily!

Below, you’ll find a summary of important information to help get you oriented to your union, your rights under our collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), and important resources available to ASEs and Postdocs. For more information, please contact uaw4121@uaw4121.org or your department steward (ASE stewards, Postdoc stewards, RSE A-4 stewards).

 

Become a Member

Get Help

Get Involved

When every ASE and Postdoc signs up for membership, we have more power to win on the issues that matter most to members. Thanks to 20 years of strong majority membership and participation, we’ve been able to win improvements to our working conditions and our University more broadly -- including wages, healthcare, childcare, anti-discrimination, international scholars issues, and more.ASEs and Postdocs have strong rights and protections under our contracts, which we’ve continually improved through membership action and collective bargaining. We have a strong network of elected departmental stewards -- peer representatives who can help answer your questions, ensure your rights are enforced, and connect you with support.As a union, we’re a democratic and member-driven organization -- everything we do as a union is the result of membership participation. The more ASEs and Postdocs across campus who participate in our union, the more power we have to make changes to improve our working and learning conditions, and the university as a whole.
Join Your Union!
Dues in Action

ASE Member Center
Postdoc Member Center
Find your Union Rep
ASE Contract
Postdoc Contract
Salaried ASEs' Rights
Hourly ASEs' Rights
Postdocs' Rights
Workload tracking
Workgroups
Organizing Committees
Membership meetings
Political Action
Calendar

Your Union 

Your Resources 

Full room of about 100 people raising their fists.

Unions in Academia 

We are part of a growing movement of organizing across higher education. Across the country, academic workers are forming unions to improve their working conditions and make their workplaces more equitable. The UAW alone represents nearly 100,000 academic workers. Check out some recent press on the academic organizing movement: