Los Angeles

“I’m a Graduate Student Researcher studying thermoelectric materials in the Materials Science and Engineering Department. Forming a Student Researchers union will allow for our best interests to be represented by us and our coworkers, and ensure that we can cultivate a working environment that is as stimulating and effective as possible.” – Brea Hogan

“My research focuses on studying how natural selection, admixture, and demographic change shape and maintain genetic variation in natural populations. I support forming a Graduate Student Researcher union because it gives our community the voice to enact change. With a union, we can bargain for stronger protections and access to resources to even the playing field for researchers of all backgrounds.” – Arun Durvasula

“I’m a Graduate Student Researcher in Human Genetics studying endometriosis. As someone who regularly needs healthcare access, UCSHIP has denied many prescriptions and caused delays in my care for arbitrary administrative reasons. In addition to scheduling delays and the inanity of the sole mandatory pharmacy, the financial burden of prescription copays has caused me to forgo refills and suffer consequences to my health. Currently there is no recourse to ensure sufficient healthcare access and no option besides UCSHIP. A union would give us a voice to bargain for health insurance that not only provides necessary care, but also frees us from worrying about our physical, mental, and emotional health (and all of the associated bills) so we can focus on the research we came here to do.” – Katie Leap

“I’m Graham, a Graduate Student Researcher studying radiation biology and RNA regulation. I support the union because it gives graduate students a voice- through collective action, union members can have much more agency over our own lives and work than any one of us could have alone. I believe that a workplace can only be made stronger by becoming more democratic, and unionization will let graduate students have appropriate representation.” – Graham Read

“My name is Cheylene Tanimoto and I’m a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. I believe that all workers deserve dignity and respect. Unfortunately, worker’s rights are not just given, so we need collective bargaining to get a fair return on our work that powers and funds the university. Through a union, we will elect representatives who will voice our needs and perspectives that are often ignored.” – Cheylene Tanimoto

“I am nearly a sixth year Graduate Student Researcher in Molecular Biology at UCLA. I believe a strong union of graduate students is important because we all face unique challenges and difficulties during our time as students. Collectively we can fight for protections and benefits so that everyone has an equal and supportive playing field so they can focus on what they came here to accomplish.” – Grace Hancock

“I am a PhD candidate in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. I study metalloproteins with computational tools to solve problems ranging from metal toxicology to drug design. Forming a union will bring security and gains for our pay and benefits as we will have the power to make our voices heard by the administration. I feel that the confidence and peace of mind this will bring to our workplace will help us all become better researchers.” – David Reilley

“I am a fourth year PhD student in Physics and Biology in Medicine.  I use artificial intelligence to analyze medical images, specifically within the field of radiation oncology.  I believe we should create a Student Researcher union to ensure fair and equitable treatment and compensation.  With these protections in place, we can create a more supportive environment that allows us all to reach our greatest potential.” – Elizabeth McKenzie

“I am a Graduate Student Researcher in the UCLA Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. I believe strongly in fair representation and compensation of workers in any occupation or industry, and graduate students are no different. I support forming a union so Student Researchers can negotiate for stability and benefits. We need to focus time and energy on research and education, not surviving paycheck-to-paycheck.” – Eric Lee

“I am a Graduate Student Researcher in physics at UCLA. I use supercomputers to simulate high intensity lasers interacting with plasma. GSRs need a collective bargaining unit to ensure the university treats us fairly and equitably. Forming a union will improve the quality of life for hard-working graduate students.” – Sarah Chase

“I am a Graduate Student Researcher in atomic physics at UCLA. I believe a union of Student Researchers will create a more direct and effective way of discussing with the University about the wants, needs, and demands of its critical workers.”  – Randy Putnam

“As a Chemistry PhD candidate, I research new ways to synthesize electronic materials from organic precursors. I love my research but oftentimes struggle to keep working in an academic environment. We want to work in a place that is welcoming, understanding, and supportive, but feel like our humanity is oftentimes overlooked. Unionizing is a way for us student researchers to gain the protection we need. We all need to remember to put our humanity before our work.” – Dayanni Bhagwandin

“I am a graduate student researcher in the Mechanical Engineering Department at UCLA, working on bioinspired robotic mechanisms. Organizing as a union can help make sure we can get the support from the university that we need. I’ve seen too many skilled and passionate peers have to drop out of the program for financial or immigration reasons. Someone’s background shouldn’t be a barrier to pursuing research work and a higher education.” – Kyle Gillespie

“I am a graduate student in Chemistry. As researchers, our work is essential to the departments we work in and the university system as a whole. Organizing a union will help ensure that we are treated fairly and that our value is properly recognized.” – Brennan Clement

“I’m a PhD candidate in Cinema and Media Studies at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and a Graduate Student Researcher with the Hollywood Diversity Report; this work helps us keep our arts and entertainment diverse as well as acknowledge the diversity that already exists. I support Student Researcher unionization because we deserve to be supported like the employees that we are.” – Ariel Stevenson

“Hi, my name’s Alex Chubick! I’m a soon to be fifth year Student Researcher at UCLA where I study the prevalence of genetic variants known as repeat expansions, which are involved in diseases such as Fragile X Syndrome and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I’ve learned a lot from my PhD experience and I greatly enjoy the work that I do. However, one thing that I have learned during this time is that life can throw unexpected curve balls. While I have been able to manage some of the issues that have presented themselves during my PhD, I know more efficient solutions could have been found through the help of a union. I support establishing a Student Research union because it always helps to have your coworkers fighting in your corner when you need the support.” – Alex Chubick

“I am a Graduate Student Researcher in Bioinformatics studying how we can use statistical models to improve our ability to predict phenotype from microbiome data. I believe that forming a union will help to ensure a healthy and safe work environment for all researchers, by empowering students to collaborate with the university on improving our campus community. Through this, we can have a academic community that nurtures diversity and actively addresses discrimination and other barriers to success.” – Leah Briscoe

“I’m a PhD student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences studying smoke impacts on the climate. I support forming a researcher union because it will let us negotiate our salary and working conditions on equal footing with the university. It will also help support victims of harassment and discrimination.” – Calvin Howes

“I’m Weixian, a graduate student from the Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology program at UCLA. Forming a Student Researcher union will unite the voices of every member of our big family, and will help deliver our demands and protect our rights. As an international student, we are a vulnerable group of people in the states facing unpredictable policies and executive orders threatening us all the time.  I believe, with a strong union, we will be able to improve our life and career development in graduate school, and international students will be better protected.” – Weixian Deng

“I’m a PhD student working on urban hydrology and land use. A union will give us the ability to negotiate as a collective for stronger rights, equitable compensation, and employee protections within the university. While we come from diverse backgrounds and exist across a variety of research areas, a union can unite us by making sure we get the support we need to do our work effectively.” – Ruth Engel

“My name is JP Santos and I am a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering at UCLA while also serving as the GSA President in 2020-2021. I am studying electrically small antennas for compact communication systems through the use of time-varying electromagnetics. I believe forming a Union is in our best interest because it will allow for all of us to organize together to fight for the best pay and protections we deserve as workers. We deserve better!” – JP Santos

“I’m a Ph.D. student in Neuroscience at UCLA studying the mechanisms of prefrontal circuit development. As Student Researchers, we work hard to advance our fields and contribute new knowledge that can benefit others. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for Student Researchers to face financial challenges and have to cope with unhealthy workplace dynamics. A union will allow us to advocate for fair treatment and pay through a supportive collective.” – Cassie Klune

“Hi! I’m Eli, a third-year PhD student in the Computer Science department at UCLA, studying cryptography and multiparty computation (MPC). I design provably-secure protocols which allow mutually distrusting parties, like government agencies or private companies, to compute functions on shared, secret data in a secure, cooperative manner. Student Researchers do crucial work that keeps the University moving forward day after day and face a unique array of challenges, especially today. I fully support the right of Student Researchers to fight for a more equitable workplace!” – Eli Jaffe

“I’m the Jane Kahn Prison Law Fellow for the Prison Law and Policy Program at the UCLA Law School. UC is an extremely wealthy institution, so why does it nickel and dime its workers? We need a union to make our voices heard by the people with the power to decide how this university spends its budget. We deserve workplace democracy.” – Jordan Palmer

“I am a Student Researcher in Human Genetics, but recently I have been working on understanding how COVID19 is spreading in Los Angeles. Student Researchers are on the frontlines in the fight against COVID19, but we face dangerous workplace conditions and an uncertain economic future. By forming a union, we can obtain the workplace protections we need to continue in our critical roles across the University of California.” – James Boocock

“I am a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Psychology. It is no secret that graduate students are exploitatively underpaid. We qualify as “very low income” according to federal guidelines in LA County.  I know it is even worse at other UC campuses. UCLA has been both my employer and my landlord.  Unsurprisingly they try to raise the rent higher than they raise the pay every year.  Graduate Student Researchers need a union to protect them when their own institution knowingly tries to make already difficult living harder every year.” – Cody Cushing

“I’m a Graduate Student Researcher in the Human Genetics department studying the functional genomics of psychiatric disease. I want to form a Student Researcher union because negotiating a binding contract as equals with UC administration is the most effective way to make our voices heard. We as graduate students just want the University to take our reasonable requests – to be treated fairly and paid appropriately as workers – seriously.” – Toni Boltz

“I am an international Graduate Student in the Bioinformatics program at UCLA. During my time in the US, only the Academic Employees Unions have shown commitment and efficiency at supporting international students from the constant threats of legal problems coming from unpredictable sources. I want us, Student Researchers, to form a Union because I am convinced that dignified working conditions are the path to improving academia. Getting a PhD is already hard enough, our working conditions shouldn’t make it harder. Instead, the university should provide us the tools to thrive in our research and let us focus on what matters most: producing science of the highest quality.” – Juan De La Hoz