March Newsletter: Rally on 5/4, Organizing Wins, and more
Dear UAW Sibling,
Despite the many significant challenges working people are facing, this month, UAW members in Region 6 have been taking on and winning major fights, showing what a fighting labor movement can accomplish. Check out this month’s newsletter for recent updates on new organizing milestones, historic contract fights, campaigns to advance pro-worker legislation, and how you can get involved.
Rally for California Science
Join thousands of fellow UAW and community members to rally for California science on May 4 in Sacramento! Can’t make it in person? You can use the same form to sign on to the petition and show your support!
On May 4, 2026, thousands of UAW workers and community members – including UAW President Shawn Fain – will rally in Sacramento and demand that Governor Gavin Newsom place the California Health & Science Research Bond on the 2026 ballot. The California Health & Science Research Bond Act (SB 895) is a bill that would place a bond on the 2026 ballot to fund life-saving research at California institutions that is at risk of being cut by the Trump Administration. Scientists are fighting back and demanding that Californians, not the federal government, prioritize what research is funded.
SB 895 is supported by a broad and growing coalition including UAW, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), the University of California, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson Research, and the ALS Society. The bill has over 40 legislative co-authors and is supported by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Treasurer Fiona Ma. To learn more about the bond initiative, visit: https://savesciencesavelives.com
UC ComMas Win Union Election!
In March the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) announced the results of the election to form Communications, Marketing, and Sales-UAW. A supermajority of the unit (67.3%) voted in this election with 82.38% voting in favor of forming a union. Now that PERB has officially certified the election results, negotiations for the first contract will soon begin. Workers in this unit are invited to strengthen the bargaining process by filing out this bargaining survey and sharing it with colleagues.
Research, Teaching, Practice & Clinical Faculty (RTPC) at USC proceed to union vote
In a major win for workers, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office just decided that RTPC faculty can vote on forming a union. The decision states that all RTPC faculty – including full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty across all schools except at the Keck School of Medicine – will have the right to vote in an election expected in April (exact dates to be determined).
This is a huge victory. Despite USC’s efforts to deny RTPC faculty the right to form a union, a majority of RTPC faculty have consistently supported unionization since Fall 2024. In 2025, a majority of full and part time faculty also signed an open letter urging USC to stop opposing democratic union rights. With a majority of faculty on their side, they now have the law behind them too – and the confidence they will win!
Union Election for University of Alaska Staff
From March 18–31, full-time staff at the University of Alaska (UA) are voting to form their union! The Coalition of Alaska University Staff for Equity (CAUSE) UAW is comprised of a diverse pool of staff doing all manner of work at UA: advising, program coordination, research, administration, finances, communications, athletics, advancement, information technology, clinical work and more. At more than 2,300 strong, CAUSE is poised to become the largest union in the statewide University system, and continue the surge in higher education staff organizing in Region 6 and beyond. The University Administration is aggressively trying to stop their campaign, but organizers are resolved. Results will be released April 1, 2026 so stay tuned!
Immigrant Day of Action in Sacramento
UAW 2103 members at the California Immigrant Policy Center invite all fellow UAW California members to attend the two-day statewide gathering for immigrant rights, April 14-15 in Sacramento! The event will bring together community members to learn, connect, build power, and take collective action to support immigrant communities. Under the Trump administration immigrant families, the working class, and the labor movement have faced relentless and baseless attacks. In California, workers are facing the brunt of cruel federal policy and economic hardships across various sectors.
Now more than ever, working people lean on one another to continue to fight against state violence and political persecution to demand justice for all immigrants and the working poor. Policy advocacy will focus on specific measures to challenge detentions and deportations, advance health and public benefits, and promote economic justice. This year’s theme, “Our Power Our Future: 30 Years of Immigrant Justice!” commemorates the 30 years of CIPC. To learn more about the program and register, visit CIPC’s Immigrant Day of Action event page.
Hello from the Region 6 Just Transition Committee!
Amidst devastation, the UAW Region 6 Just Transition Committee offers things to be hopeful about this year: we are spearheading two bills in the California legislature this session, and they are getting off to a raring start.
We wrote the bill AB 2516: The CA Grid Manufacturing Initiative, partnering with Energy and Utilities Committee Chair Petrie-Norris. The bill puts our just transition agenda of union jobs, decarbonization, and affordable electricity into practice by getting the state of California to negotiate lower prices for electric grid equipment, like transformers, and to get in the mix of actually producing this equipment. A team of researchers modeled the proposal would save ratepayers $100 Billion or more over 20 years and create thousands of manufacturing jobs.
Check out a factsheet on the bill here. The bill’s first hearing is on April 8th.
We are working on a bill to clean up SB 131 from last year, which eliminated environmental permitting for all new manufacturing development in California. A new bill will be introduced by Senator Blakespear this week, backed, in concept, by a coalition of labor, environmental, and environmental justice groups.
JOIN the committee for Tuesday March 31st Lobby Day in Sacramento. If you’re interested please reach out to Sam Appel, UAW Region 6, at sappel@uaw.net. Our group will meet for lunch in Sacramento at noon and lobby from 12:30-3pm.
Historic Contract Wins at UC
In March, UC ASEs, SSAPs, and RPSPs members overwhelmingly voted to ratify their contracts! Major contract wins include groundbreaking language on international worker support, wages, job security, and much more. These historic wins come as a direct result of workers’ concerted organizing, including recruiting Contract Action Team members across all parts of the UC, and escalating collective action over multiple months: In February, workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike over unfair labor practices and bad-faith bargaining. Workers went on to organize a massive “Last Chance” practice picket across the state to put the UC on notice – and one day later, management finally moved on key issues and workers won tentative agreements. Onward!
Postdocs at Washington State Win TA on First Contract
After months of bargaining, last week Postdocs at Washington State University won a Tentative Agreement on their first contract! The TA includes salary increases, new rights for International Postdocs, just cause protections, minimum one-year appointments, protections against discrimination, harassment and bullying, and more. Postdocs will now vote whether to ratify the contract this week.
Collective Bargaining Win at WWU
After years of organizing, Operational Student Employees (OSEs) at Western Washington University won a major milestone in their fight to form a union: Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed HB 1570 into law, enshrining collective bargaining rights for WWU OSEs. This historic win comes as a direct result of OSEs’ concerted organizing over multiple years – including striking last year, filing for recognition with majority support three times, and lobbying elected officials. Now on to winning certification and bargaining a strong contract alongside WWU Educational Student Employees!
CalArts Faculty & Staff Rally: Chop from the Top!
On Friday, March 20, nearly 200 CalArts faculty and staff came together to demand that the administration shoulder more of the burden for their financial decisions. Despite management shutting them out of the building, faculty and staff held a powerful rally right on their doorstep and sent a clear message to administration: if there’s a budget gap, look at the executive suites, not the essential workers who keep the institution running.
UAW Members Building Power at Cal Fed
This month, UAW members in California attended the California Federation of Labor Union's Pre-primary Convention and Joint Legislative Convention in Sacramento. Members voted as delegates to support UAW endorsed candidates, attended workshops on building working class power, and met with other union members from across the state.
UAW workers also received an award for our role in Prop 50 and the fight to stop Trump from rigging the election. For our role in turning out young voters on college campuses like UC San Diego, UAW 4811 was awarded the Working Class Canvass Award. Members also met with lawmakers and advocated for legislative priorities including the California Science and Health Research Bond.
Message from Region 6 Director Mike Miller
Fuel Prices. Source: https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/
Since Donald Trump retook the White House, workers have faced an onslaught of reactionary policies and executive actions. Public funding cuts to food stamps, education, healthcare, science, green energy and more have made the lives of many people harder, hungrier, and more precarious. Trump’s illegal and abominable war against Iran, launched in late February 2026, is the latest affront to working people here and abroad.
In Iran and Lebanon, an estimated 4 million people have been displaced and over 3,000 have been killed. Around the world, Trump’s war is causing economic instability: high gas prices are straining workers’ budgets, with states in Region 6 hit particularly hard. Agriculture costs are also rising, threatening higher prices at the grocery store, and more worldwide hunger. The first six days of the war alone cost the U.S. $11.3 billion. By day twelve, $16.5 billion have been squandered and the Trump administration is seeking yet another $200 billion.
While working people suffer, oil companies and billionaires profit. As the California Division of Petroleum Market Oversight (DPMO) found, every price spike studied between 2019 and 2023 saw a remarkable profit spike as well. Refiners, especially in California, are exercising their power to inflate profit margins. And with oil profit margins padded so plumply, energy companies and investors have even less reason to seek renewable energy alternatives – especially at a time when the Trump administration has removed incentives for electric vehicles and offshore wind, and is instead incentivizing new oil and gas development.
As shown in an important study of the Russia-Ukraine oil supply shock, the beneficiaries were the top 1%, who garnered half of all the added oil profits through gains in their stock portfolios. This time will be no different, as the rich still own most of the stocks, the bottom half of earners own very little, and Congress shows no interest in curbing the oil companies’ price gouging with windfall profits taxes and other redistributive policies.
The need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels is more timely than ever. Ending this wretched war immediately is paramount. In addition to the human tragedy for those suffering under US bombs, the demand destruction this war is producing is threatening global recession and widespread hardship – and economic downturns always hit workers the hardest, increase racial wealth disparities, and harm communities.
Working people are up against steep odds, but the impressive organizing Region 6 members have been doing this year gives us a glimpse of what’s possible when workers commit to building a fighting movement. Workers in Region 6 are winning new organizing drives despite pushback from the government and employers, winning historic contracts that set new industrial standards, and advancing massive political organizing to win bold, progressive programs. I hope to see many of you at the Leadership Conference in April to take stock of these recent successes and challenges, and to plan together how we can dramatically expand our efforts to build the most powerful movement of working people in history.
In the medium and longer terms, we must continue to advance pro-worker policies, especially as it pertains to energy costs and delivery. In Region 6, we are working in our own ways to do just that. In California we are backing the California Grid Manufacturing Initiative (AB-2516), legislation that seeks to reduce energy costs across the state while creating thousands of good manufacturing jobs. And as always, we must keep organizing, keep winning strong contracts, and continue to advocate for policies that benefit workers.
Upcoming Events
Immigrant Day of Action, April 14-15, Sacramento.
Region 6 Political Action & Leadership Conference, April 25-26, Pico Rivera, CA. In the coming year, there will be a number of critical opportunities for UAW members to build the powerful worker-led movement needed to meet the current moment, including the UAW Constitutional Convention, member-driven legislation to expand research funding and collective bargaining rights, midterm elections, contract campaigns, new organizing campaigns, and more. At the Region 6 Political Action & Leadership Conference, hundreds of UAW workers from around the Region will come together to take on this urgent work and build a powerful path forward. All members are encouraged to join! Contact your Local for more information.
International Workers Day is May 1! Join a May Day rally, march, or other action near you.
Rally for California Science, May 4, Sacramento. Join thousands of fellow UAW workers and community members to build power for science funding in California.
Region 6 Summer School, July 23-26, Cal State Los Angeles. Locals can expect to receive the call letter with more information in April.
Labor conferences around the country: Contact your Local for more info!
UAW Health & Safety Conference, May 3-8, Onaway, MI.
UAW Chaplaincy Conference, May 17-22, Onaway, MI.
Convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, May 20-24, Atlanta, GA.
UAW Family Scholarship Program, July 12-17, Onaway, MI.
A. Philip Randolph Institute’s National Education Conference, July 22-26, New Orleans, LA.
UAW Veteran’s Conference, August 9-14, Onaway, MI.