Voter Information Center

The election is happening from Wednesday, March 18th to Tuesday, March 31st. Ballots will be sent out via email at 9am on the 18th and the vote will close at 4pm on the 31st. 

The election will be conducted by secret e-ballot under the supervision of the Alaska Labor Relations Associate (ALRA) and will use an electronic voting system administered by Intelivote. When the vote opens, you will receive a personalized ballot to your email inbox with instructions on how to cast your vote. If you run into any difficulty finding your ballot or casting your vote, please reach out to info [at] cause-uaw [dot] org or the Alaska Labor Relations Agency (ALRA) at 907-269-4895.

All permanent staff who are in eligible positions and employed at UA as of 2/18/26 and are also employed throughout the election period are eligible to vote. 

Yes - this is a secret ballot election.

Voting for “CAUSE-UAW” means you support forming a union of, for, and by UA staff, so we can represent and advocate for ourselves while working at UA. If a majority of votes cast are for “CAUSE-UAW,” our union will be formed and we will begin negotiating a contract with the UA Admin. If a majority votes cast are for “No representation,” no union will be formed.

After a majority vote for CAUSE-UAW, UA staff will continue to weigh-in on bargaining priorities through surveys, town halls, and conversations. We’ll also elect a bargaining team of our colleagues who will use the survey to draft Initial Bargaining Demands — broad goals for negotiations. All UA staff will vote to ratify these demands.

Unionized workers at UA, like faculty and grad students, negotiate over wages, and any raises are codified into a legally binding contract, called a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Then, the Alaska state legislature votes to approve and fund those CBAs. In recent years, it has been incredibly rare for the legislature to vote against funding CBAs, even in instances where the CBAs have come in past the funding deadline. UA can also ask the legislature to fund raises for non-union workers, but neither the university nor the legislature is under any legal obligation to provide them. For example, last year, the legislature approved raises for all unionized UA employees, and did not approve raises for staff. UA Admin made the decision to fund those wage increases with other sources, but it was completely up to their discretion. 

This year, UA has already asked that the legislature fund 3% raises for all staff to match what unionized groups on campus negotiated. If the legislature funds those raises, staff are legally entitled to receive them.

By voting to form our union, we will gain the right to negotiate for wage increases through CBA negotiations, as do our unionized coworkers. Having that in our CBA would provide us with far more security in our wage increases. 

Yes. International workers have the same rights to vote and participate in their union as US nationals, regardless of visa status. You have an equal say in this election and you will be sent a link to a secret ballot.

We will not pay dues until after negotiating and voting to ratify our first contract. Once a contract is ratified, each of us can decide whether or not to become a dues-paying member. Dues provide the resources to enable effective collective bargaining, enforcement of rights, and every aspect of having a strong union. UAW membership dues are 1.44% of gross income.

All eligible permanent UA staff who are employed as of 2/18/26 and are also employed throughout the election period are eligible to vote. A small number of staff who meet a very strict legal threshold for being a supervisor or confidential employee are not included in CAUSE-UAW. Employees of the UA Foundation are also not included. If you received an email on March 18th with the subject line X, you should be eligible to vote! If you have questions about your eligibility, please reach out to info [at] cause-uaw [dot] org.

Yes. If you receive a ballot you are eligible and encouraged to vote.

No. UA cannot make unilateral changes to our working conditions during this election period and for the duration of contract negotiations. After UA staff vote to form our union on March 18-31, we will negotiate our first contract to protect and improve our benefits. We will also ratify our contract by a majority vote to finalize and implement our newly won rights and benefits. Once in a contract, our benefits cannot be changed unilaterally by the University; yes, that could mean no more surprise hikes in healthcare premiums or parking fees!

Reach out to Alaska Labor Relations Agency (ALRA) at 907-269-4895.