Higher Education Labor United, the national coalition of higher education union locals that is building a wall-to-wall, coast-to-coast movement of workers across job categories, stands in solidarity with the Research Scientists & Engineers A-4 and Postdocs of UAW Local 4121 who have been bargaining for months with University of Washington administration for equitable contracts. Our union siblings’ decision to strike demonstrates that the strike wave in our sector surges forward as workers push colleges and universities to live up to their educational, research, and service missions.
Our Postdoc and Research Scientists & Engineer siblings at UW have been bargaining since last year. They keep the university functioning by performing critical, cutting-edge research, maintaining day-to-day operations of research facilities and labs, and much more.
They also drive the research that brings both prestige and billions in funds to UW each year. Their working conditions are directly linked to advancing research in the public interest.
Meanwhile, UW Management has evaded UAW 4121 members’ calls for fair wages and equitable contracts. Management has claimed that they even are above the law, contending that the university can ignore the Washington Minimum Wage Act when it comes to Postdocs, despite the fact that the Washington Department of Labor & Industries has determined that Postdocs are, in fact, covered by this state law.
We condemn the University of Washington’s bad faith approach – which management there has farcically framed as “philosophical differences” to justify refusing Postdoc researchers living wages. Rather than simply paying fair salaries, UW Management is choosing to force Postdocs and their faculty colleagues to create brand new systems to treat Postdocs as hourly workers.
Across the country, higher ed workers are choosing to strike in massive numbers precisely because of the kind of treatment Postdocs and other workers at UW are receiving from management.
We call on HELU member unions and all allies of higher education workers to support striking UW workers. Please donate to the UAW #4121 strike fund, join the pickets if you are in or near the Seattle area, and publicly share messages of support.
In solidarity,
Todd Wolfson
Chair, HELU Interim Steering Committee
General Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT #6323