General FAQ

We are a group of University of Alaska staff from all universities and campuses across the University of Alaska. Our work not only keeps the University of Alaska running but also has lasting impacts on tens of thousands of students. 

By forming a union we are seeking to negotiate as equals with the University administration over wages, benefits, and other working conditions that affect the quality of services provided to UA.

Don't see your question? Please contact us via this email:  info [at] cause-uaw [dot] org. You can also fill out our Get in Touch form to set up a time to talk with a coworker on the organizing committee.

UA Staff! Being a chapter of a union organization does come with some rules and guidelines (to keep everything legal and copacetic), but as long as local chapter decisions fall within those, the member-elected representatives of that chapter make decisions through a democratic process. Representation will always be composed of the peers we elect to the positions within the structure that we choose. 

Current volunteer organizers serving a wide variety of roles throughout our University system have been working together to steer this shop so far.  All eligible permanent UA Staff members are encouraged to participate and help to shape where we go from here. This is truly a democracy so the more voices and diversity in representation, the stronger our union!

Forming a union with collective bargaining rights is the only way to have the power to negotiate with the UA Administration as equals and reach a legally binding contract. 

This effort began when staff started talking together about how to improve our working conditions and decided to organize with UAW. Before we formed a union, the UA administration had unilateral control over our pay, benefits, and workplace rights. They could change our working conditions at any time without our input.  With a union, we have the right to collectively bargain with UA and a greater voice in our workplace.

While UAW began as an auto worker union, there are now over 125,000 higher ed workers in UAW, making UAW one of the largest unions of higher ed workers in the country. In the last year, over 10,000 staff (and counting) have formed unions with UAW at public universities in California and Washington.

UAW has historically been one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America. By joining this movement, staff will also gain political power to impact policy and funding decisions on the local, state, and federal levels.

Our union includes all permanent staff at UA with the exception of certain supervisors, confidential employees, and employees of the UA Foundation. The Alaska Labor Relations Agency oversaw a process of determining who should be excluded from the bargaining unit based on duties and responsibilities. Both the university and our union submitted information in support of that process, which eventually resulted in an agreement between the parties. If you’re wondering whether or not you’re in our unit, please email us at info [at] cause-uaw [dot] org.

Some of the most common issues that come up in our conversations so far are:

• Salaries not keeping up with the cost of living across Alaska

• Expensive and inadequate health insurance coverage

• Unclear job security and vulnerability to sudden reorganizations of units 

• Inconsistent and unprotected remote/hybrid work policies

• Unclear and inequitable promotion policies and advancement/reclassification pathways

• Workload interfering with life and lack of protections from overwork

• A lack of say over our working conditions and lack of consideration for our input

• Protections from unjust firings and retaliation

Our university system has struggled in the past, and while funding has stabilized within the past few years, recent events have reintroduced uncertainty. That’s why it’s so important to be at the table when the administration is making decisions that affect us. With a union, we are legally entitled to complete, transparent information about the University’s budget so that we can be sure that we have a real say in priorities. It also enables us to make responsible choices about our contract.  

Moreover, there are a number of policies that are not directly tied to the budget (for example, remote work agreements, protection against discrimination and harassment, etc.) that we can improve only when we have the ability to bargain as equals. 

Further, as unionized workers, we have greater power in the state legislature than we did before. In 2024, the graduate workers were able to not only secure funding for their Collective Bargaining Agreement, but also helped push for increased funding for UAF to support its R1 goals. This year, UA Staff have traveled to Juneau to advocate for state funding of our raises. Together, we can use our voices to advocate for both ourselves and our university system.

Being grant-funded is not unique to staff or UA. Many other unionized employees at UA (including faculty and graduate workers) are partially or fully grant-funded. Historically, when these groups have won raises in their Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), UA includes these raises and other benefits in the cost of the CBA they present to the state legislature. The state legislature then appropriates the funding for the costs of these raises and other benefits.  Some contracts also include wage escalators further into the future, since these can be easier to anticipate in grant cycles.

Fundamentally, with collective bargaining, we have an equal say with the University administration in determining compensation or other terms/conditions of employment, so will gain far more influence in figuring out a system that works for grant funded positions.

In addition, there are several UAW locals at other institutions such as the Academic Researchers at UC and the Researchers, Scientists, and Engineers at UW that are almost entirely grant funded.They have been able to secure stronger job security through their CBAs, including bridge funding for PIs and greater transparency around changes that may affect their funding. By unionizing, we stand not only to win better benefits, but also stronger job security. Academic Researchers at the University of California actually had to fight for a provision that would allow them to *reduce* their FTE in the event that they needed to spread funds out (the university administration didn’t want to allow this).

Union dues with UAW are 1.44% of gross monthly pay and you must opt in as a member to pay them.  So if someone makes $60,000 per year (gross), dues would be about $36 per biweekly paycheck. Dues are the independent resources we use to build our organizing and enforce our contract (for example - we’re availing ourselves of UAW member dues to fund this campaign until we negotiate our first contract and begin paying dues). So they’re important but not compulsory.  If someone wants to pay dues they must voluntarily authorize them. Here’s an example of the document signed by unionized grad workers: https://uaw.jotform.com/form/241176075360049 

Current University policy precludes unionized staff from serving on staff councils. Instead we will bargain as equals with UA Admin over a contract. Just like staff councils, our union is made up of us, the staff! And just like staff council leadership, union leadership - the president, bargaining committee member, shop stewards, etc.- will be democratically elected by us, from amongst us, the staff. 

Staff Councils do lots of great work around the system - advocacy, professional development and staff gatherings. There is no reason that the same work can’t continue after we unionize. After all, we are the ones who organize them and make them happen now, and we will be the ones running our union. 

Staff councils can only give recommendations that are routinely ignored. By unionizing, we will be able to negotiate an enforceable Collective Bargaining Agreement with the university as equal partners, and they will be legally obligated to participate in those negotiations.

At the end of 2025, the Alaska Labor Relations Agency oversaw a process of determining who should be excluded from the bargaining unit based on their job duties and responsibilities. Both the university and our union submitted information in support of that process, which eventually resulted in an agreement between the parties. These determinations were made on an individual basis - based on position descriptions, individual surveys, and testimony - and the three primary factors outlined in our job duties questionnaire (in addition to ALRA surveys the university distributed to all staff in disputed positions). Job duties at UA are highly variable, even within the same job titles and job families, so this process required careful review of individual PDs, questionnaires, org charts, and testimony.  We are currently in ongoing conversations with UA about how these determinations will be made going forward. If you’re wondering whether or not you’re in our unit, please email us at info [at] cause-uaw [dot] org.

By forming a union, we gain a greater say in how our workplaces function. We determine our bargaining priorities together through extensive surveys, conversations, votes, and more. We can negotiate for clearer job duties, which can make it more transparent when people are excelling at their jobs, and when they aren't meeting expectations.

What we can also negotiate for are stronger protections–such as workload protections and protections against discrimination and harassment—for us when we have coworkers who don’t do their jobs or make the workplace a hostile environment.

Many of us like our current working conditions–including remote/hybrid work, flexible schedules, and more–and that’s a big reason why we formed a union. Without a union, UA Admin could change our working conditions without our input. With a union, UA will be required to bargain with us before making any unilateral changes, so we can protect our flexibility and other aspects of our jobs that we enjoy.

That will be up to us! The decision to strike (like all others within the union) is democratically made, and in Alaska, requires 50%+1 of all members of the unit to vote yes.

The best way to get involved is to connect with the organizing team. To get started or ask questions, reach out at info@cause-uaw.org. They can provide information on current updates, their roles, and how to participate. Upcoming opportunities include working groups, outreach efforts, and eventually elected positions like bargaining committee members or stewards.