Our Stories

"I believe in agency and self-governance. Currently, our rights and duties are determined by people who are not directly impacted by those decisions. I'd like us to make them ourselves, which unionizing would allow. Staff unionizing aligns with Alaskan values of freedom, sovereignty, and independence by giving us - not others - the power to determine our compensation, working conditions, and so much more. We can do better together!"

"I support UA staff unionizing because I support equity in the workplace, legal protections against unnecessary restructuring and unfair workloads, and UA staff having a unified voice regarding decisions that directly impact them."

"I will be signing a card to form a UA staff union so we can finally join our colleagues—the organized faculty, adjuncts, and graduate student workers—that are so vital to our mission at UA. As a collective voice, we will have so much more power to advocate for better benefits and compensation. It's disheartening to watch my colleagues be overworked, under compensated, and under appreciated across community campuses. I am supportive of staff organizing so that myself and my coworkers can sustainably do the good work we do in Alaska, while being able to afford to live and thrive in Alaska."

"Higher education is a heavily exploited field and UA is no different. By unionizing, we are collectively confirming our worth as the foundation of university operations and standing up for higher pay and better working conditions."

"Anything can change. You may feel entirely happy in your current position, but leadership/new-leadership decisions can severely impact your job, without warning. I support a staff union so we workers can have a voice in higher decision making.

I'm happy to be working where I am now, but my previous experience has taught me of the inequality and inconsistencies that exist in the UA system."

"UA staff is the last major group in the UA system excluding undergraduates to not be represented by a union. The formation of a union will give staff the power to negotiate for changes to our pay structure and benefits."

"I support a staff union because we need a way to ensure our hard work is recognized, appreciated, and awarded. Everyone in my department does 2-3 people's worth of jobs, and we never get any sort of acknowledgement for it. We should have adequate compensation, better benefits, and clear tracks to promotion and career development – or else, why are we working so hard for a school that won't appreciate us?"

"Bargaining collectively and negotiating a contract and work conditions, this is a basic right, and it's ours if we want it. For me, the question comes down to "Will this improve my life in terms of finances and quality of life?" Seeing how represented workers far exceed the compensation and work conditions of their non-represented peers give me the answer: Hell Yeah! Sign me up!

In addition to all of that, I care deeply about the University. Having all staff being in unions with contract costs will actually help the university plan costs and give our Legislature something predictable to budget. Good for us, Good for the University, Good for the State."

"I support the UA staff forming a union because we need to protect our rights during these uncertain times. I would also like to unionize so that we can fight for higher wages that match the living costs in Alaska."

"As a student who graduated in 2019 from UAA, I was morally shocked how much UA campuses overworked their staff. Now that I am staff, I want to fight to protect and increase what we have, and make the UA administration recognize the results of our work and attribute our successes to us and not just themselves."

"I support a UA Staff Union because staff are simply stronger together. We need the power of collective bargaining to meaningfully advance improvements in our working environments, which are the bedrock of the University of Alaska system. 

I care about UA, my colleagues across the system, and the students we support through our work. Through unionizing, I believe we can take care of each other with greater consideration, and be better able to contribute to the meaningful work each of us  does."

"I was a union member for 5 years at another university. I believe that we've been settling. That we're used to this and afraid of change. Too often we are reminded of "why we're here" when we're asked to endure, but not loving our jobs and not focusing on student success has never been at risk. We know why we're here. We love what we do. However, we deserve to be heard, to have sustainable options, and to make choices that will allow us to support our families. We deserve the compensation and benefits that we would advocate for our students to have."

"The formation of a staff union at UA/UAA will ensure that we have the ability to attract and retain high quality applicants to our staff jobs. This in turn will also help us to reduce the number of hires we have to do from turnover and increase the institutional knowledge we have been bleeding out."

"Unionizing gives staff a firm footing when it comes to advocating for and protecting ourselves. We are underrepresented and our voices are largely ignored when it comes to policy and budgetary decision-making. It does not serve our best interest as a university system - and by extension those we serve - to perpetually leave us underpaid and understaffed. To build a strong university system, we need to cultivate an empowered and properly compensated foundation of staff."

"A union allows us have a collective voice in negotiations. A single employee alone doesn't have the resources or time to advocate for themselves against a large university system. If we organize, then we can have a real say when it comes to our pay, benefits, job security, and treatment in the work place."

"UAS is long overdue for a union! 

I care deeply about this institution and the impact it has on our lives and our communities. Forming a union is our strongest collective voice toward equal opportunities, more equitable pay, affordable benefits, and better working conditions. 

Please support UAS staff in their pursuit of equal representation."

"I represent a higher education system, I help guide individuals through the challenging process of becoming a student at this institution. I am the face, I am a gate keeper, I support the University and advocate for student enrollment. I work hard to represent and stand up for my staff for little reward or recognition. It is hard to be a leader and a friendly face when there are so many outside battles that constantly consume me. Unionization would help us have a voice and stand together and fight for better living wages and conditions."

"Together staff, faculty, and students make the university what it is. I believe that we as the staff of UAF should be standing alongside our colleagues and that a unified voice, in the form of a union, is the most effective way to make that happen."

"Gathering together to speak our values and needs as one group makes us strong. As staff, our knowledge, efforts and quality are worth standing up for."

"A university cannot function with faculty alone. It takes an army of staff members from admissions, to registration, to lab assistants, to education specialists, to advisors, to librarians, and many more to ensure our students receive a well rounded education from their first day to graduation. Staff are the backbone of the university and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our right to unionize for benefits and working conditions we all deserve."

"Every year our budget is cut, every year we bleed staff, every year we are paid less, every year we are asked to do even more with less, which hurts our students. Organizing a union seems to be the only logical action in the face of these grievances."

"I believe every staff member deserves to be treated equally and have a voice!"

"We can make our needs known better by doing it together than we ever could alone"

"Staff make up one of the largest employee groups at the university and yet we are currently the only group that has not yet unionized; this makes us vulnerable to bearing the brunt of uncertain budget futures. Our numbers give us power: I support unionization because it gives us a stronger voice to advocate for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. 

"I support a UA Staff Union because, as a UAA alumni and current staff member, I am committed to the betterment of the university. By improving our working conditions, we will be able to do better work for the university and its students. "

"Corporation and institutions are inherently structured to exploit. This is not an Indigenous value. Unions are a method of forcing those inherent values to stop and treat PEOPLE with morals, ethics, equity. "

"As staff, we represent the largest number of employees at UA. By forming a union, we are much more likely to have our voices heard and be key makers in decisions within the UA system. We are stronger together than apart!"

"“It is one of the characteristics of a free and democratic nation that it have free and independent labor unions." -FDR” 

"As employees of the University of Alaska, I believe that having representation in the decision making processes that affect our jobs and lives is essential. Through forming a union, we can protect our rights, foster a workplace that works for everyone, and ensure the university functions properly to serve the students and community as a whole."

"As someone that has been a student first at UAF and then UAS, I know firsthand that supportive staff can make a world of difference in the university experience for our students. When I first became a staff member at UAS back in 2014, staff were still getting annual step increases. Then, shortly after, our compensation started to get whittled away. Our pay increases lagged behind inflation and rising COLA and we no longer received regular step increases. Even more, while our purchasing power decreased, staff were also asked to do more. To take on responsibilities from other positions that were cut or not filled when the staff members quit."

"Staff is the largest work group for the University and we deserve to have our voices heard and listened to."

"I believe the people who keep this University running deserve real protections, fair compensation, and a livable wage. We should have the same level of support and security that others across the system already have."

"Our voices are stronger together. With a union, we can advocate for benefits, pay, and fair treatment for all staff. Staff are what hold the University system together, and we deserve to be able to collectively bargain for fair and equitable pay and benefits." 

"We are stronger together. Once we form a union we will be able to better advocate as staff for a stronger and more resilient university."

"Staff need a voice in decisions that affect our work. As a researcher, I've seen our center's financial support shrink year after year. This year, the length of our contracts were reduced to 3 months - even though we had secured enough funding for an entire year. Faculty and grad students already have unions. I think it's time we do, too."

"Staff in the University of Alaska deserve equal representation." 

"We deserve a seat at the bargaining table."

"Unionizing creates stronger workforces and better opportunities for all of us. It gives staff members a seat at the table where our futures are being decided. Unions also provide us protections and bargaining power."

"As both an alumni and employee of UAS I'm voting for the union--not just for myself but also for the sake of my wonderful coworkers, because over the years I have witnessed the frustrations of job scope creep, lack of momentum in the title change process, lack of support in addressing Title IX matters, and the failure of pay to keep pace with inflation. I know very well just how exhausting it can be to try and fight for things and advocate on your own, but I also know how much can be achieved by a community that comes together to make good things happen."

"Forming a union benefits everyone in our community. Students are better served by staff that are paid fairly and have a say in their working conditions. By having a seat at the table, staff have a chance to negotiate policies that support work/life balance. Happier staff are more likely to remain in their positions- and in Alaska. Voting yes is a vote for the long term health of our university system and our community."

"My work matters, my students matter, and my family matters too. Over the years I have seen other public services jobs growing and paying more, and it’s hard not feel that here. I don’t want to leave my students for a better paying job, but I don’t want to sacrifice my family's needs. I believe forming a union can help make staying possible." 

"As a former Fairbanks Education Association member, I am voting YES because the absence of collective bargaining only guarantees disparity in how we are all treated. Without a collective contract, we can all be brought to the level of our lowest treated peer. Every complex or nuanced issue our leadership refuses to define explicitly exposes us to inequitable treatment. There is no level of flexibility that can make up for knowing your same job family peers are more or less disadvantaged under different supervision. With a collective contract, we have an actionable voice for defining the standards and expectations at UA."

"Unionization presents an opportunity for us to all bargain together for better benefits, compensation, and job security. We can't do everything on our own!"

“I believe in organizing to serve the greater good.  Having our voices heard by joining with my fellow coworkers across my campus and state will allow us to be a force for good for the betterment of us all."

"History has shown us that collective bargaining through unions better protects and empowers each individual worker by giving us a greater combined voice. I’m voting yes because I believe my labor and the labor of my fellow staff members is meaningful, and we benefit from being able to organize in a cohesive way around policy, compensation, and other benefits."

"I voted yes to form a staff union because I believe that staff deserve to have a voice in the decisions that impact our workloads and benefits. I know that having the opportunity to work together towards increased protection, improved compensation, better benefits, and clear pathways for career development will help keep our incredible staff at UA around so we can continue making a difference for UA students. I also hope that the UA staff union will be able to work towards greater transparency and potentially even bridge funding for partially grant-funded staff (like me!). Faculty and grad students at UA are already unionized, UA staff deserve the same opportunity for collective bargaining!"

"When I accepted my position 11 years ago, I had no idea that negotiating my starting grade or step was even an option. I spent over a decade working my way from a Grade 80 Step 1 to a Grade 82 Step 21. However, I’ve learned that individual merit can mean very little in our current system. During a recent reorganization of my department, I was unilaterally moved back to a Grade 81, despite management explicitly stating that the performance of me and my coworkers was not the issue.

This structural shift resulted in an $8,132 annual pay cut for my household. As the sole breadwinner for a family of five, a loss of that magnitude is significant. When leadership touts 'flexibility,' they are usually describing a system that only works for those few who can successfully climb the management ladder, ignoring the fact that the foundation needs to be just as secure as the peak. I’m voting YES to trade administrative uncertainty for the stability of a legally binding contract."

"Unionized employees are able to negotiate for better pay, benefits and job protections. Without a union, any benefits we currently enjoy can be taken away by university administration. There's a reason why all other employee groups (other than admin) at the university are unionized - they benefit from it. In a time of shrinking budgets, we need the job protections that only a negotiated pay and benefit agreement can give us. "

"I support a union because UA staff are integral to the university and deserve collective representation and bargaining power. Our voices and our ability to create change and long-term stability in our working conditions are most effective when they are united."

"I’m for the union, because I believe we are stronger together! Being a part of a union gives staff a seat at the table for decision-making, and increased equity and stability in the workplace. More secure, represented, satisfied, supported staff will result in better University experience for all - staff, faculty, students, and the broader Alaska community!"

"I am voting yes to empower my fellow staff members across the university system. Even if you are content with your current situation, many of your colleagues feel disenfranchised and unprotected, and no one knows what is coming in terms of leadership changes, state politics, or broader economic stability. There is no university without all of us, so we deserve a stronger voice."

"I believe we'll have more power to advocate for our rights and values with a union. A collective staff contract would bring improvements and protections to our work — guarantees that we deserve!"

"I am voting yes to unionize because collective bargaining is the most powerful tool for workers to ensure fair and equitable compensation for our work. Solidarity Forever!"

"I'm voting YES because representation matters! Our perspective matters! Staff deserve an equal voice and a seat at the table, just like other hundreds of union-represented students and employees at UA. Without a union, every state appropriations cycle is roll of the dice for us--we deserve better than that."

"I am voting YES for CAUSE-UAW because I believe and know having our voices heard only happens when WE are represented by us. The union is all of US! When we come together no one has to stand alone. I stand with you for a better work place for all us of now and those to join in the future."

"I want to help put the staff in a better position to advocate for themselves, because the work we do is so important in providing an education to students."