What is bargaining?

Collective bargaining, or just bargaining for short, is the process by which a union negotiates with employers (like the UC administration) over the terms and conditions of employment of workers in the bargaining unit. Many aspects of the bargaining process are regulated by law. The result of bargaining negotiations will be a legally-enforceable collective bargaining agreement (a contract) between unionized workers and the employer.

To see the list of UC Path job titles included in our bargaining unit, check out the general FAQ.

Who takes part in bargaining?

RPSPs and the UC Administration each have a bargaining team who will meet and negotiate. Our bargaining team will be composed of democratically elected RPSPs who will engage in continuous discussion with RPSPs, conduct research, draft proposals, and eventually negotiate a tentative contract that will be voted on by all RPSPs. 

All RPSPs will have opportunities to take part in the process through our bargaining survey, voting to ratify the initial bargaining demands, and joining the Contract Action Team (CAT) to continue shaping our strategy. We will also have an open bargaining process, meaning that bargaining sessions will be open to any worker to attend even if you are not on the elected bargaining team. Bargaining updates will be frequently sent by email and posted on this webpage. Once the bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement with the University, RPSPs will vote on whether to ratify the contract.

What are Initial Bargaining Demands and how were they ratified by UC-UAW staff?

“Initial Bargaining Demands” are broad, overarching goals for negotiations and not the actual contract proposals.After thousands of survey responses, one-on-one conversations, and many town halls, the bargaining team drafted these demands that are ratified through an online vote, Oct 21-28. At the start of the ratification vote, instructions were sent out over email and posted on the website homepage.

Historically, high participation collective actions (like this ratification) have been invaluable to keep UC negotiating fairly.

When, where, and how does bargaining take place?

The start date for bargaining will be agreed upon by UC and the RPSP-UAW bargaining team once they are elected. Bargaining will take place for a full day every other week, alternating between Berkeley and Los Angeles. In these sessions, the RPSP-UAW Bargaining Committee and the UC’s bargaining team present proposals to each other which can either be accepted or replied to with a counter proposal. Once a proposal is agreed to, it is set aside as a “tentative agreement” on one article of the eventual contract. When both sides have agreed on all outstanding articles, a tentative agreement is returned to RPSPs for a ratification vote. Once UC-UAW Staff and the UC approve of the tentative agreement, the contract is signed and becomes legally binding.

What is joint or shared table bargaining?

This is a process whereby multiple bargaining units within a larger union or a coalition of unions can negotiate with an employer at the same time, oftentimes for common issues. This can still be complemented by separate, unit-specific negotiations for issues specific to individual bargaining units or job titles.

How do we decide our priorities in bargaining?

It’s important that bargaining priorities come from the issues that matter most to all workers. The priorities are based on the input thousands of UC-UAW staff share in their bargaining survey.  

However, bargaining is a dynamic process and workers particularly interested in winning a strong contract should join the Contract Action Team (CAT), which will be essential to keeping workers informed during the contract campaign so we can continue to make decisions together. Join your CAT and sign up to attend a training here.

Most importantly, our organizing projects are not limited to what we can achieve in the bargaining process. UC-UAW members are at the forefront of fighting the Trump administration’s attacks on UC. This September, our union sued Trump over the $1.2-billion fine against UCLA and initiated legislation to create a new $23 Billion funding source for UC.  It’s just as much about protecting and expanding the pie by gaining greater power to secure the resources needed for our work to advance.

What happens in a bargaining session?

During a bargaining session, UC-UAW staff and the UC’s bargaining team sit across from each other and take turns presenting proposals and asking and answering questions. All proposals passed at the bargaining table are uploaded to this tracker. At any point during the session, either side can call a caucus to discuss privately with their own side.

How can UC-UAW staff get involved in the contract campaign?

The best way for RPSPs to get involved in the contract campaign is by joining the Contract Action Team (CAT)! CAT members publicly and visibly participate in the contract campaign, keep their coworkers informed about what’s going on in bargaining, mobilize their coworkers to take action throughout the campaign, and help to identify others who can play the same role. Join your CAT and sign up to attend a training here.

How long will bargaining last? Is there a timeline?

There is no set timeline for this process. For reference, the Academic Researchers who unionized with UAW in 2019 were able to win their first union contract in just 6 months. The Student Researchers who unionized with UAW in 2021 were able to win their first union contract in 12 months. The more UC-UAW Staff are able to demonstrate unity and power through collective action, the sooner we can win concessions from the University that UC-UAW Staff want to ratify in a contract.

Will we go on strike?

In UAW, workers must authorize the Bargaining Committee to call a strike through a strike authorization vote (SAV) achieving at least a 2/3rds “yes” vote before a strike can be called. Under HEERA, the law governing collective bargaining at the UC, strikes can be called if there are unfair labor practices, called an unfair labor practice strike, or if both sides reach an impasse and are unable to reach an agreement after mediation, called an economic strike.