HUGE UPDATE: 15 days into our strike, UC has finally made substantial offers to Academic Researchers and Postdocs, and the AR and Postdoc bargaining teams have now reached tentative agreements on contracts, including substantial wage increases that address cost of living. Read below for more details.
UC hoped that Academic Workers would lose steam during the break, but they were sorely mistaken. Today, workers turned out in massive numbers across the state for rallies and actions, including thousands of UCB, LBL, Davis, and UCSF Academic Workers marching to the UC Office of the President in Oakland,1,500 UCSD workers marching through the streets of La Jolla, and hundreds of UCLA workers hand-delivering an Unfair Labor Practice charge to the Administration.
Check out the video below for a recap of the day’s actions.
One day longer, one day stronger.
Bargaining Update
Postdocs
Tonight the University proposed a comprehensive proposal to Postdocs that the bargaining team has tentatively agreed to. You can read the full tentative agreement here. Highlights include:
- Compensation that addresses cost of living
- Most Postdocs will receive a 20-23% salary increase (up to $12,000) by October 2023; over the course of 5 years as a Postdoc at UC, the current lowest paid Postdoc would see a 57% salary increase;
- For 2024-2027: 7.2% annual increase for Postdocs on the scale (3.5% scale increase and 3.7% experience step), 3% annual increase for above-scale Postdocs
- Faster timeline to first experience-based step
- Increase from 4 weeks to 8 weeks of Parental and Family Leave paid at 100% for all Postdocs
- Childcare subsidies that will start at $2,500/annually and increase to $2,800 annually – the first time Postdocs have won a childcare subsidy after 12 years of fighting
- Lengthened initial appointments from 1 year to 2 years to ensure job security and longer visas
- New Respectful Work Environment Article including industry-setting protections against abusive conduct and bullying that are fully grievable and arbitable
- New Immigration Article with guaranteed leave time for immigration appointments and protections if immigration laws change
- Protections for workers with disabilities that go beyond the ADA, guaranteeing interim accommodations while the interactive process is ongoing
- Commitment to implement free transit passes within 3 years, and a commitment to bargain if free passes have not been implemented in that timeframe
- E-bike discount of at least 15%
Academic Researchers
Tonight the University also made a comprehensive proposal to Academic Researchers that the bargaining team has tentatively agreed to. You can read the full tentative agreement here. Highlights include:
- Compensation that addresses cost of living
- A typical Academic Researcher will receive 29% in salary increases (between scale and merit increases) over the life of the contract
- An Assistant Project Scientist hired in July 2022 would see their compensation increase by $3,078 by July 2023, by an additional $6,395 by July 2024, and by $19,423 by the end of the contract.
- A Junior Specialist hired in July 2022 would see their compensation increase by $5,459 by July 2023; if they continued as an Assistant Specialist their salary would increase by an additional $6,668 by July 2024, and by a total of $20,620 over the life of the contract.
- 8 Weeks of Parental and Family Leave paid at 100%, up from 70% pay
- Better job security: Longer appointments before merit review, and fewer exceptions to 1-year minimum appointments
- All ARs are now eligible to apply for PI status and UC commits to meet with the Union to discuss the expansion of Bridge Funding Programs at each campus
- New Respectful Work Environment Article including industry-setting protections against abusive conduct and bullying that are fully grievable and arbitable
- Protections for workers with disabilities that go beyond the ADA, guaranteeing interim accommodations while the interactive process is ongoing
- Commitment to implement free transit passes within 3 years, and a commitment to bargain if free passes have not been implemented in that timeframe
- E-bike discounts of at least 15%
- An improved Union Security article to keep our union strong, and a better Grievance and Arbitration process to enforce the contract
ARs and Postdocs are still striking. The strikes called over Unfair Labor Practices and in sympathy with Student Researchers and Academic Student Employees will continue while the ratification process proceeds. Postdoc and AR members will vote on ratification of each respective contract in the coming days. Dates for the ratification votes, as well as town halls to answer questions, will be announced soon.
These victories would not have happened without the solidarity of all 48,000 Academic Workers, especially the 36,000 Academic Student Employees and Student Researchers. Now, UC can no longer use AR & Postdoc bargaining as an excuse to delay making counter proposals to ASEs and SRs on compensation and other topics. We expect that they will make serious proposals this week. Postdocs & ARs will do everything in their power to support ASEs and SRs until they reach fair agreements. Let’s keep the pressure on!
In solidarity,
UAW 5810 Academic Researcher Bargaining Team
UAW 2865 Academic Student Employee Bargaining Team
UAW 5810 Postdoc Bargaining Team
SRU-UAW Student Researcher Bargaining Team