How the Research Professionals & Public Service Union (RPSP-UAW) Won Big

Genesis of the RPSP-UAW

• 💡 Inspired by the historic 2022 contract wins of other UAW-represented colleagues, workers at UC San Diego and UCLA began discussing unionization.
• 🎯 Key motivators included stagnant wages, rising healthcare costs, and limited career advancement opportunities within the university system.
• 🚀 The organizing effort involved extensive one-on-one outreach, listening to co-workers' concerns, and building a strong network.

Unionization Process and Support

• ✅ The union successfully collected cards, triggering an election where 83% of eligible workers voted yes to unionizing, with over 3,000 out of 7,200 professionals participating.
• 🤝 UAW has made a significant effort to organize university workers, with over 100,000 academic workers now organized under its umbrella, highlighting a shared class consciousness among different worker groups.
• ⚠️ While some workers expressed fear due to potential employer retaliation or immigration status, the overall sentiment was a desire for collective action and a mandate to fight for better conditions.

Challenges and Next Steps

• 🌍 Organizing a 93% remote/hybrid workforce across 12-13 UC campuses presented unique challenges, requiring extensive emailing and strategic use of proximity in outreach.
• 🗣️ The union is currently surveying members to determine bargaining priorities and plans to hold town halls to ensure all voices are heard.
• 🛡️ A key focus is preparing for potential challenges from the university and ensuring mechanisms are in place to enforce contract terms and protect members' interests.

Broader Implications and Advice

• ✊ The union's success demonstrates that organizing a dispersed workforce is possible through persistent one-on-one conversations and building community.
• 📢 Listeners are encouraged to support union efforts, participate in their own unions, and advocate for higher education institutions against administrative cuts.
• ✨ Simeon Bennett reflects on the fight for workplace freedom and democracy, drawing parallels to overcoming feelings of powerlessness, similar to his experience during Hurricane Katrina.
• 🌐 Information about the RPSP-UAW can be found at rpsp-uaw.org.