Forming a union doesn’t happen overnight. It requires hours of conversation, explanation, persuasion, follow-ups. For student researchers at the University of California, the process has been underway for months, and on Monday, May 24, their efforts resulted in a remarkable success: They submitted more than 10,000 signed union cards to California’s Public Employee Relations Board, announcing their intent to join the United Auto Workers (UAW). The proposed union, Student Researchers United-UAW, would represent over 17,000 higher education workers across all 10 University of California campuses and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The organizers claim it would be the biggest new union formed in 2021, so far.
University of California Student Researchers Are Forming a Union of More Than 17,000
