2026 RESEARCH STAFF BARGAINING PORTAL

Research Staff: Act for a Strong Contract!

We are currently in negotiations with UW administration for a new contract that will determine our working conditions for the next few years — on issues of compensation, workplace rights, and more. The involvement and activism of every single union member is critical to bargaining success. Our ability to move administration on our core issues depends on whether the administration sees that we’re united and serious about our bargaining demands.

Join Your Colleagues to Build Power: Become a Member!

Bargaining Schedule & Updates

Upcoming Sessions

Bargaining sessions are open to all members in good standing. Please email the bargaining team to participate so we can give an overview about the bargaining process, the current status of our negotiations, and what to expect from bargaining on that day! bargaining-RS@uaw4121.org

June 2nd (joint session with postdocs)
June 8th (joint session with postdocs)
June 12th
June 23rd
June 30th

Initial Bargaining Demands

Throughout bargaining, this page will be updated with resources to understand how contract negotiations are going. Questions and/or want to get involved in developing resources to agitate, educate, and organize our coworkers to win a strong contract? Reach out to bargaining-RS@uaw4121.org

Latest Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Update: Organizing to win on affordability!! Attend the May 27th Forum!

We were at the table with management again on May 19th. The only article UW Management presented was their counter-proposal for Article 10: Grievance Procedure, which provides us a way to enforce our union contract. They effectively proposed to make the grievance...

Bargaining Update: They’re running the clock. We’re not.

At yesterday’s bargaining session, we reached a tentative agreement on Article 32: Salary Overpayment Recovery. This article updates the cap of vacation hours we can use as repayment when overpayment occurs (240 → 280 hours to reflect changes in state law). Management...

Bargaining Update – Protections When It Counts Most: Layoffs and Rehire

We were back at the table on Thursday (April 30) for another contract bargaining session. Before we dive in: On May 27, join your fellow research staff for a virtual Affordability Forum to ensure that our contract reflects the critical, life-changing work that we do....

Bargaining Recap: Faster reimbursements & more flexibility for travelling Research Staff

First, we want to acknowledge that on Wednesday, union members mobilized at a moment’s notice at the SEA-TAC airport to support a fellow UAW 4121 member and family member who were detained at SEA-TAC airport when returning to the US on a flight. They were deported on...

What’s the tea from Bargaining Session 3?

Yesterday was the third bargaining session with UW management for our next Research Staff (RS) contract. TLDR: We focused on increasing transparency of policies impacting all of us and ensuring we have the financial resources to enforce our rights and build power to...

Latest Bargaining Recap

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UAW Local 4121 (@uaw4121)

Proposals Tracker

This tracker contains full text for all article proposals exchanged between UW administration and our RS bargaining team. Articles which have reached tentative agreement will be marked as TA.

>

Meet the Bargaining Team

Join the Contract Action Team

Sign up to be a Contract Action Team (CAT) member in your department.

The Contract Action Team are point people for updates, questions, and conversations about the contract campaign in a department. A strong network of CATs across UW will be crucial to our ability to win a strong contract by making sure that every single member is connected and empowered to take action together!

Fill out the form below to get started.

I'm signing up to join the CAT!

Get connected with organizing:

The foundation of our power is in making sure that our coworkers are signed up as members to have a say in our collective future. Building this powerful movement grounded in mass participation & empowerment takes each and every one of us.

Fill out the form below or reach out to the RS Organizing Committee (bargaining-RS@uaw4121.org) to get connected to other members in your department & area.

Let's go!