Student Researchers are students employed as researchers by the University of California and its affiliated labs.

 SR is an umbrella term that includes Graduate Student Researchers, Trainees, Fellows, Graduate Student Research Assistants, Research Assistants and Student Researchers. SRs can be employed directly by UC or through external funding for the training of graduate students, e.g. through National Institute of Health (NIH) or National Science Foundation (NSF) grants.

Collective bargaining is a process, protected by state law, that equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer.

Under collective bargaining, UC SRs elect peer representatives to negotiate as equals with the UC administration. These negotiations result in a proposed contract called a tentative agreement which guarantees the terms and conditions of employment for SRs. All SRs will then be asked to vote to democratically approve the tentative agreement. If approved, the tentative agreement becomes a legally-binding contract.

Through collective bargaining, other academic workers at UC (such as Teaching Assistants, Postdocs, and Academic Researchers) have successfully negotiated improvements in their wages, benefits, job security, leaves, protections against harassment and discrimination, and many other terms and conditions of their employment.

Without collective bargaining, UC has unilateral power to change our working conditions. For example, UC administration currently decides unilaterally whether to provide SRs with annual raises or not, and decides the kind of protections SRs working in lab have from COVID exposure. In recent years, UC administration has unilaterally paid SRs late, too little, or on unknown, opaque schedules.

Forming a union with collective bargaining rights is the only way to have the power to negotiate with the UC Administration as equals and reach a legally binding contract. It also will strengthen the voice of researchers in an increasingly difficult political environment. In fact, 180,000 employees in the UC system are already represented by unions.

With collective bargaining, SRs set our priorities and our agenda—and we elect fellow Student Researchers as representatives to negotiate on equal footing with UC administrators for improvements such as salary increases, career development resources, parental leave, protections from harassment and discrimination, and much more. Additionally, we hope to gain more support and recognition for our research contributions commensurate with the billions of dollars in research revenue UC receives each year. 

 Without collective bargaining, UC has unilateral power to change conditions or decide whether to make improvements. For example, UC administration currently decides unilaterally whether to provide salary adjustments to keep up with the high cost of living in California.

Student Researchers have negotiated improvements to their wages, benefits, and workspace/materials; have established fair processes for stopping sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and microaggressions; and have and negotiated guaranteed short and long-term leaves. 

Read more about what Student Researchers have won at other universities:

• University of Washington (UAW Local 4121)
• University of Connecticut (GEU-UAW Local 6950)
• New York University (GSOC-UAW 2110)
• Harvard University (HGSU-UAW Local 5118)
• UMass Amherst (GEO-UAW Local 2322)
• The New School (SENS-UAW Local 7902)

You can find detailed information on the “forming a union” fact sheet.  Here is a summary:

1. SRs form a diverse organizing committee to gather information and make a plan to form a union.
2. A majority of all SRs (50% + 1) sign authorization cards indicating they would like to form Student Researchers United / UAW.
3. SRs deliver their authorization cards to the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) which oversees public employee unionization efforts. PERB requests a list of SRs from UC to verify that all cards are valid and represent a majority.
4. If PERB finds that a majority of SRs have signed cards,
5. Then job titles in the unit are determined, and
6. PERB certifies Student Researchers United / UAW, and SRs can begin bargaining with the UC administration!
7. SRs elect a bargaining committee of SRs.
8. SRs fill out comprehensive bargaining surveys, hold discussions, request information from UC administration, and gather feedback to draft their initial bargaining priorities.
9. Initial bargaining demands are sent to all SRs for review, and SRs vote on whether or not to approve them.
10. The bargaining committee negotiates as equals with UC administration and provides regular updates to all SRs. SRs engage in collective action about their demands.
11. Once a tentative agreement is reached at the bargaining table,
12. All SRs vote on whether or not to ratify the agreement.

If SRs do not ratify the tentative agreement reached between their elected bargaining team and UC administration, then the bargaining team will return to the negotiating table. Contract ratification is often the subject of rigorous democratic discussion among UAW members, with “vote yes” and “vote no” campaigns in which members make the case for or against ratification.

SRs will not pay dues until after negotiating and voting to ratify their first contract. Once a contract is ratified, each individual SR can decide whether or not to become a dues-paying member. Dues provide the resources that enable fair and effective union representation. To learn how dues enable a strong and active union, read “Dues in Action” from the academic workers union at UW. UAW membership dues are just 1.44% of gross income and are automatically deducted. 

Typically, the value of increased salary and benefits greatly exceed the cost of dues. In fact, in a letter to the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, UC Grad Deans estimate forming a union will initially increase Student Researcher pay by 3 to 7%—far more than member dues. Since ratifying their first contract in 2010, UC Postdocs in UAW 5810 have won a 38.8+% increase in their average salary and a low-cost, high-quality benefits plan. UC Teaching Assistants in UAW 2865 have won full in-state tuition remission and partial campus fee remission, fully covered health care premiums, a 64% increase in salary, and a childcare benefit since unionizing. The contract also ensures appointment security, protections from harassment and discrimination and arbitrary dismissal and lay-off, among other benefits. A supermajority of UC Postdocs and Teaching Assistants consistently choose to become dues-paying union members. 

Teaching Assistants formed a union in 1999. Between then and 2020, TA pay increased 26% more than GSR pay—not including the cost of guaranteed tuition and partial campus fee remission.

Compiled from: UC Office of the President, https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/compensation/index.html

Initiation fees, like dues, are set by UAW membership. Each SR will pay a one-time $10 initiation fee when they become a member.

All dues and the initiation fee are automatically deducted. SRs only have the option to pay dues after we negotiate and ratify our first contract.

Union members democratically decide how union dues are spent. In UAW 2865 (UC TAs, Tutors, and Readers), and in UAW 5810 (UC Postdocs and Academic Researchers), elected leaders from each campus in the Joint Council approve a budget for the year. Individual expenses throughout the year are then approved by the Executive Board, which is elected statewide and meets monthly. Meetings of the Joint Council and Executive Board are open to all members of the union. Additionally, elected trustees audit the union’s income and expenditures twice annually, and the Joint Council reviews and approves the union’s financial report every three months.

Most of the work of enforcing the contract and representing membership is financially supported by the Local Union. The Local Union receives 28% of its dues to support the following:

• Educating new employees about their rights and the union
• Contract negotiations
• Advising members in difficult situations and supporting them through contract enforcement grievances
• Events, including educational seminars on topics like visa and immigration rights, healthcare, and taxes
• Advocacy for public policy that supports research and researchers

To see union dues at work, read these summary of contract wins by UAW Academic Workers or the ways UAW Academic Workers are taking on inequity in academia. Some examples of how UAW 2865 has guaranteed its contract through the grievance process include:

• TAs in the UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department won a multi-million dollar grievance guaranteeing adequate appointment percentages to receive tuition and fee remission, and secured payment of $6,435 in tuition and fee remission per term. 
• Secured back wages plus additional payments of between $150 and $450 for Academic Student Employees who were shorted paychecks during the rollout of UCPath. 
• Won full in-state tuition remission for an international Teaching Assistant who was unfairly terminated while renewing his visa abroad and was unable to return to campus by the start of term. 

Another 25.5% of dues goes to the International Union’s General Fund, which provides technical support for contract negotiations and contract enforcement and supports new organizing campaigns including Student Researchers United / UAW. The remaining dues are allocated to the Strike and Defense Fund (44%) and Community Action Program (2.5%). Depending on the overall financial health of the Strike and Defense Fund (if the balance is $500M or greater), an additional allocation of dues called a “rebate” is given back to the Local and International Union. 

Dues allocated to the International Union will support UC Student Researchers during contract negotiations by providing:

• Technical and legal support for SR contract negotiations
• Experienced negotiators to help achieve SRs’ goals at the bargaining table
• Researchers who can help independently analyze UC finances to help make decisions about bargaining proposals

International Union dues will also continually support UC SRs outside of contract negotiations by providing:

• Legal advice and advocacy to impact policy makers, especially those in Washington, DC. For example, in 2017 UAW International filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case challenging the Trump administration’s travel ban. In 2016, UAW helped win the Optional Practical Training STEM extension. 
• Effective response to federal policy. In July 2020, the UAW filed a declaration to support a lawsuit challenging the H-1B entry ban announced on June 22 highlighting the detrimental impacts on affected UAW Academic Workers. In April 2020, the President of the UAW International wrote to Congressional leadership urging action to protect researchers and research funding in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
• Guidance on grievance and arbitrations. For example, UAW International aided UC Postdocs in winning more than $3 million in back pay.
• Advice on best practices for ensuring strong education and mobilization programs to keep members involved.
• Other services as requested by the Local.

In addition, dues help support new organizing campaigns. For example, the organizing staff and legal support for the SRU / UAW campaign is paid by current UAW members’ dues. Also, union dues have gone towards legal and organizing resources that have have been key to major victories for academic workers including:

• the passage of SB 201, which was the culmination of a decades-long fight to extend collective bargaining rights to Research Assistants at UC.
• the recent landmark NLRB decision extending collective bargaining rights to Teaching and Research Assistants at private universities, as well as the organizing resources that led to the subsequent representation election victory of Columbia University TAs and RAs.

A portion of dues money also goes to support political action, including legislative and other policy advocacy on issues that matter to UAW members. For example, UAW advocates strongly for fair, comprehensive immigration reform, which would include more visa access and an improved green card process, and expanded federal support for research funding, among other topics. [NOTE: Legally, dues money cannot be used for federal campaign contributions, such as the presidential race—that money comes from members’ voluntary contributions separate from, and in addition to, dues, in a program called VCAP (Voluntary Community Action Program)].

Through UAW member dues, UAW successfully:

• Advocated to extend California wage and hour protections to workers at UC, including Student Researchers, Teaching Assistants, and Postdocs, after the initial UCPath rollout left many academic workers with reduced pay for months. 
• Advocated for the inclusion of Postdocs in the 2016 Department of Labor’s overtime ruling resulting in wage increases and new wage standards for Postdocs as well as Assistant and Associate Specialists across the country, including at UC.
• Collected a majority of the California Congressional delegation’s signatures onto a letter in support of Postdocs’ bargaining demands during the 2016 contract negotiations.
• Sponsored AB2350 to increase protections against pregnancy discrimination and has also worked to increase legal protections against sexual harassment.
• Lobbied multiple members of Congress to write Dear Colleague letters urging a stop to the sequester budget cuts.

Currently, UC administration determines Student Researcher pay rates and benefits unilaterally, and those rates – as well as projected increases – are factored into grant proposals to agencies like NIH, NSF, DOD, etc. With collective bargaining, we would negotiate as equals with UC for improvements to our pay rates which would continue to be factored into grant proposals. SRs at UMASS and the University of Washington, as well as Postdocs at the University of California, have negotiated guaranteed annual increases to their pay rates through collective bargaining, while the headcount of unionized researchers at each of these campuses has continued to rise.

No. There is no evidence of collective bargaining having these effects. Both Student Researchers and the administration have to agree on a contract and neither party would want that result.  Collective bargaining simply means we can negotiate as equals in order to hold UC more accountable to do the best it can do.

An example of how this plays out: in the first contract for Postdocs at the University of California, Postdocs negotiated significant pay increases,and the university agreed to a phase-in process to help PIs accommodate the improvements without disrupting current research. Before collective bargaining, the University decided such things unilaterally, and some Postdocs made as little as $18,000 per year even though UC had a “policy” stipulating that the minimum postdoc salary should have been $37,000.

Empirically, the overall number of Research Assistants has grown at the University of Washington since unionization in 2004, by 7%, as has the number of Postdocs at the University of California since unionization in 2010 by 21%. Overall grant revenue has also increased at UW and UC over those years, showing that these institutions remain highly competitive in recruiting top talent to their research programs.

Student Researchers make up our union and will democratically prioritize which improvements to pursue in contract negotiations. With a union, SRs will negotiate as equals with the administration for the changes we want to make.

A contract will legally secure those improvements against unilateral changes by the administration. Currently, the administration can change policies and benefits unilaterally, without any obligation to consult those affected.

With a union, we will vote on our contract. If we are unsatisfied with a contract, we can vote against it and go back to the negotiating table to work out a better agreement.

Only a union with collective bargaining rights has the power to negotiate a binding contract with an employer as equals. For example, since electing to form UAW 4121 (the Union of Academic Workers at UW) in 2004, UW Research Assistants have had a track record of success, including increasing the median Research Assistant salary by 80%. The Union of Postdocs also negotiated guaranteed annual salary increases, protection from unjustified layoffs, locked in affordable health care benefits for four years, and 4 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all Postdocs (in addition to short-term disability leave and other forms of leave for new parents), and more. 

Many Student Researchers involved in Student Researcher United / UAW have taken part in other advocacy organizations and believe those groups have an important role to play. UAW 2865 has worked closely and effectively with Graduate Student Associations on many campuses, for example. However, while there are many great university affiliated organizations, only by forming a union can Student Researchers collectively bargain a legally binding contract over the terms and conditions in our role as workers at UC.

Additionally, as more researchers form unions, Student Researchers will have a stronger voice to advocate on broader issues such as increasing public investment in research, better visa and immigration policies for international Student Researchers, and better working conditions for all researchers.

UC Student Researchers are asking colleagues to sign union authorization cards. These say that SRs want the union they are forming — Student Researchers United/United Auto Workers (SRU/UAW) — to represent Student Researchers in collective bargaining with UC Administration. It takes a majority of Student Researchers signing authorization cards in order to certify the union as the collective bargaining representative for SRs at UC. You can read more about the union formation process on the Forming a Union Fact Sheet. 

California regulations require that each employee’s “printed name, signature, job title or classification and the date on which each individual’s signature was obtained” be present on cards, and state that cards are valid for one year after the date on which they are signed. Authorization cards are confidential and will not be shared with UC Admin.

Ready to sign a union authorization card? Click here to sign a card. 

Choices of UAW union locals include UAW 2865 (the union of Teaching Assistants, Tutors, and Readers at UC), UAW 5810 (the union of Postdocs and Academic Researchers at UC), joining another UAW local, or forming our own UAW local union. The International UAW Executive Board will decide which local Student Researchers will join—typically after milestones such as certification by PERB or negotiating our first contract—with strong consideration given to our preferences.

SRs have been working with UAW to form a union over the past 25 years. The 1998 judicial ruling that gave students working under Teaching Assistants, Tutor, and Readers titles at the University of California the right to form a union excluded Graduate Student Researchers. TA’s subsequently formed UAW 2865, and in turn helped form UAW 5810, the union of Postdocs and Academic Researchers. Together, these unions along with Student Researchers lobbied the legislature so that in 2017 Student Researchers were finally recognized as employees with the passage of SB 201. 

In 2019, a group of 40 Student Researchers from all 10 UC campuses and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab sent a letter to UAW 2865 and UAW 5810 requesting support to form a union. Following this letter, the UAW International Union pledged to support Student Researchers with a card campaign to form a union. 

Since international students at UC have the same legal rights as U.S. citizens, signing an authorization card should not jeopardize or delay application for legal permanent residence. Authorization cards that get submitted to California PERB (the state Public Employment Relations Board that verifies and counts the cards) are not released by PERB to the University of California or other government agencies. Thousands of Student Researchers and other academic workers have signed union authorization cards in large unionization drives at the University of California and elsewhere since 2008, without any reported instance of delay or rejection of applications as a result of signing a card or otherwise participating in a unionization effort. If you have any questions about your particular situation, please email for additional resources.

No. On the contrary, once a union is formed, UC cannot unilaterally alter any terms and conditions of employment—including pay and benefits. Instead, changes to terms and conditions of employment are subject to collective bargaining, through which Student Researchers have the power to negotiate with UC administrators as equals and democratically approve a binding, enforceable contract.

As a union, Student Researchers will have access to UC financial information that affects SRs, which will make it possible to be well-informed and conscientious during bargaining. All bargaining decisions will be made by SRs, including what proposals to make in bargaining, and whether to approve any proposed contract.

By developing thoughtful bargaining proposals and advocating successfully for increased higher education and research funding, unions of academic workers have made significant improvements to their working conditions. As an example, bargaining and advocacy by UAW 5810 (the Union of Postdocs at UC) has resulted in a 34% average wage increase for Postdocs since 2010, while over the same span the number of Postdocs employed by the University of California has increased from 5,800 to 7,000. 

Finally, Student Researchers have more power to protect jobs through collective action and the protections of a legally binding contract. Most collective bargaining agreements prohibit the employer from terminating positions due to arbitrary or discriminatory reasons, or to take action inconsistent with job offers accepted by the employee. Not only would SRs be able to act collectively, but we would also have the full backing of unionized Academic Student Employees, Academic Researchers, Postdocs, and the larger UAW International Union.

As a union, SRs will be negotiating with the University, not with our PIs and supervisors, because it is the policies of the University that define the conditions of our employment. Moreover, SRs will set the bargaining agenda and decide what improvements to prioritize in collective bargaining.

As such, a union contract would only create limitations if Student Researchers democratically choose to impose them. And forming a union would mean that the UC administration would not be able to make unilateral changes to working conditions that SRs choose to preserve.

Student Researchers will democratically decide how we want to negotiate pay, but no academic worker contract has ever stipulated that all workers must be paid the same. At the University of Washington, Research Assistants democratically decided to keep a variable system of pay after forming their union. The contract sets a minimum standard and departments are free to pay above that standard. Both the base rate and the variable rates have seen increases. Academic Researchers and Postdocs at UC both negotiated pay scales that guarantee minimum salaries but stipulate that UC may pay more. 

SR’s will democratically decide on the terms of employment that most benefit our ability to perform research at a high level. Recent contracts negotiated by other UAW academic unions have emphasized protections against excessive workload while allowing flexibility to allow for maximal productivity. For example:

• UC Postdocs chose not to bargain for an hourly limit to their workload. Instead, the contract for Postdocs at UC protects against excessive, unnecessary workload by stating “work schedules must be reasonable, and related to research needs.”
• The contract for Graduate Teaching and Research Assistants at the University of Washington protects against excessive workload by setting an hourly limit to the amount of work that may be assigned, but allows work assignments for Research Assistants to exceed their hourly limit if that work contributes to their dissertation project.

Historically, UC has rejected proposals by UAW 2865 (the union of Teaching Assistants, Tutors, and Readers) to create cost-of-living based salary increases per campus. If Student Researchers decide this is a contract priority, the power of unionized Academic Student Employees to negotiate for this kind of cost-of-living adjustment will be increased.

Collective bargaining is a flexible institution that provides many potential ways for Student Researcher and Teaching Assistant, Tutor, and Reader contracts to be negotiated in tandem. For example, coalitional bargaining, pattern bargaining, joint bargaining, are all strategies Student Researchers could decide to pursue. Once Student Researchers have an established bargaining relationship with UC, it could even be possible to bargain a single contract for all Academic Student Employees, including Student Researchers, with distinct provisions for each unit (as is currently the case for TAs, Tutors, and Readers). 

UAW is the International Union of United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). UAW has historically been one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America. In recent decades, 80,000 workers in higher education have joined, making UAW the single largest union of academic workers across the US. UC Teaching Assistants, Postdocs, and Academic Researchers have found that joining the UAW has allowed them to democratically determine priorities as a workforce and dramatically increased power to win improved rights and benefits through collectively bargaining with UC.

In addition to the 19,000 Academic Student Employees, 7,000 Postdocs, and 4,500 Academic Researchers at UC, thousands of other Student Researchers across the country have formed unions through the UAW. Each of these UAW Locals has won increases in pay, benefits and workplace rights. Having the same union represent Teaching Assistants, Readers, Tutors, Postdocs, Academic Researchers, and Student Researchers at UC builds power and allows SRs to draw on years of UAW experience in representing UC employees.

The elected Student Researcher bargaining team may ask Student Researchers to vote to authorize a strike if necessary to win a fair contract. In order to authorize a strike, 2/3rds of voting Student Researchers must vote in favor. 

UC Postdocs and UC Academic Researchers both negotiated strong contracts without striking, but were prepared to strike if necessary. In both cases a supermajority of Postdocs and Academic Researchers voted to authorize a strike.

If Student Researchers decide that a strike is necessary to win a strong contract, there will be time to make contingency plans to ensure important experiments and research are not damaged.

The fundamental values of UAW are transparency and accountability. Recently, 14 of 14 former UAW leaders charged with corruption pled guilty. Their actions are appalling, highly unusual, and go against the fundamental values that UAW has upheld for over 80 years. 

The former leaders involved were stripped of their positions and UAW membership. None of these leaders ever held elected positions within either UAW 2865 or UAW 5810, the two local unions representing Academic Workers at UC. 

Yes. UC administration opposes Student Researcher unionization, and attempted to prevent Student Researchers from gaining the same rights as other UC employees, such as the right to form a union, for over a decade. Although UC now claims to be “neutral” on SR unionization, and urge SRs to “get the facts,” they do not disclose their own long history of anti-union activities or link to any pro-union resources in their informational pages on SR unionization.