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UAW postdoctoral scholars, academic researchers reach tentative deal with UC


Strikers gather outside Pritzker Hall with their picket signs. (Alice Yang/Daily Bruin)


This post was updated Dec. 1 at 12:24 a.m.

The University of California reached a tentative agreement with postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers represented by the United Auto Workers union Tuesday.

The UAW 2865, UAW 5810 and Student Researchers United-UAW unions – which collectively represent around 48,000 academic workers throughout the UC, including teaching assistants, postdoctoral scholars and student researchers – have been on strike since Nov. 14 as they call for fairer wages and better working conditions.

UAW 5810, which covers postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers, will continue to be on strike until the agreement is ratified, according to a tweet from the union Tuesday morning. It is also still calling for new contracts from the UC with UAW 2865 and SRU-UAW and will continue to honor picket lines regardless of its own contract status.

[Related: UC academic workers walk out in largest US strike since 2019]

The newly proposed contract would be active until Sept. 30, 2027 if ratified, according to Tuesday’s UC Office of the President press release.

The agreements for postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers include 100% paid family leave for eight weeks and a new contract clause to address workplace abuse. The University also said it would attempt to negotiate lower to no costs for regional transit for both groups.

Additionally, postdoctoral scholars would receive a new salary scale of annual 8% increases by April, annual pay increases every October and up to $2,500 in childcare cost reimbursements per year with annual increases. Academic researchers would receive pay increases of 4.5% in the first year, 3.5% in the second, third and fourth years and 4% in the fifth year.

The UC has not yet reached agreements with academic student employees, such as teaching assistants, and graduate student researchers.

News editor

Hamilton is the 2023-2024 News editor and a Copy staff member. She was previously the 2022-2023 national news and higher education beat editor and a national news contributor. She is also a third-year gender studies and political science student minoring in professional writing.


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