February 15, 2022 “To me, this was an issue of pay equity … We have an obligation to pay our people well, and we should pay our chancellors well.” That’s what UC Regent Jonathan Sures said after voting to give $100,000+ raises to the UC chancellors. Meanwhile, the majority of Academic Workers spend upwards of 30% of our income on rent or commute long distances to find affordable housing Well, UC has already taken care of it’s chancellors and now it's (past) time for the University to match its own rhetoric as it relates to the rest of us. This week, please join thousands of other Academic Workers in telling the University to fix their...

The workers of UAW 2865, UAW 4123, UAW 5810, and Student Researchers United-UAW are in solidarity with you, striking academic workers at Columbia. We support you in your fight for dignity, equity, and a fair workplace. We support you in your fight for wages that meet the cost of living in New York City and a contract that protects workers against harassment and discrimination.  We call on Columbia to settle a fair contract with you immediately, and we condemn its outrageous anti-worker retaliation and strikebreaking tactics. We are horrified that Columbia chooses to waste its resources on a fight against those who carry out the university’s...

December 8, 2021 Today, UC dropped its objections and agreed to recognize Student Researchers United-UAW in its entirety. This is an incredible victory and it was brought about by the tireless efforts of the thousands of Student Researchers who have taken action to win a union. In particular, it is a direct response to our massive Strike Authorization vote, in which 10,622 SRs voted to strike if necessary. This is truly a historic victory. Here is a recap of some of the work that led to this moment: Over 12,000 SRs signed authorization cards and chose to form a union Thousands of SRs had 1-1 conversations with their colleagues and labmates...

November 20, 2021 We are thrilled to announce the results of the Strike Authorization Vote that was conducted over the last week. A total of 10,890 SRs voted, with 97.54% voting yes.This is a major accomplishment and it sends a clear message to the UC: Student Researchers are united in our demand for a union that represents all SRs and are willing to strike, if necessary, to win it. Stay tuned for next steps. Check out your representatives on the elected strike committee, which is meeting to prepare for a potential strike if UC continues to refuse to recognize SRU-UAW as the union for all SRs. We hope the UC will recognize our union...

November 19, 2021 In the midst of SRU-UAW’s historic strike vote, political support for recognition of our union continues to build. Yesterday, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D- Berkeley) sent a letter signed by 49 California legislators to UC President Michael Drake demanding the immediate recognition of SRU-UAW in its entirety.  They write, “We respectfully urge you to ensure that the rights and democratic decision of more than 12,000 UC employees are respected by your administration, and that the University immediately begins the task of negotiating a contract that improves the working conditions of all Student Researchers.” You can read the...

October 28, 2021 Yesterday, a majority -  30 members - of California’s Congressional delegation sent UC President Michael Drake a letter urging him to recognize Student Researchers United-UAW immediately. You can read the letter here. This is an exciting update and it was made possible by the Student Researchers across the state who have been organizing meetings with their elected representatives and building political support for SRU-UAW. Pressure is building on UC to recognize Student Researchers United-UAW. You can help move UC to do the right thing by RSVPing to attend today’s action. You can find campus-specific information about the...

October 27, 2021 BREAKING - Last night, the Student Researchers United-UAW Statewide Organizing Committee voted to begin a Strike Authorization Vote (SAV). The vote will begin Wednesday November 10th at 9AM and conclude Friday November 19th at 9PM.  After months of delays and excuses, SRs will no longer accept UC administration’s stubborn refusal to recognize our union despite a supermajority of SRs democratically choosing to form SRU-UAW. It is clear that reason alone won’t persuade them; it is time to confront them with the power of thousands of organized Student Researchers. Authorizing a strike does not necessarily mean a strike will...

October 25, 2021 Update: UC, SRU-UAW, and PERB met on Friday. The purpose of the meeting was to bring the parties together to try and “settle” the question of whether UC will recognize SRU-UAW as the union chosen by a supermajority of Student Researchers, including fellows and trainees. The meeting did not result in recognition of SRU-UAW, but another meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9 to continue discussions.  UC’s intransigence on this issue is revealed by their midnight filing before the meeting, doubling down on their argument that fellows and trainees are not employees, and so according to UC do not even have the right to unionize. UC...

October 21, 2021 The Resolution on UC’s Delay and Deny Tactics closed last night at 8PM and I am excited to share the news that 5,482 Student Researchers (99.65% of those who voted) voted to demand that the UC recognize SRU-UAW drop its objections and recognize SRU-UAW in its entirety. 2,636 SRs also said they will help organize a strike vote if UC continues to refuse to recognize the democratic decision of SRs to form a union. This is a major achievement! UC has taken every opportunity to delay this process with the hope that SRs would lose interest and stop paying attention. The results of the resolution show that SRs remain united in...