UC Research & Public Service Professionals
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rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
UC Research & Public Service Professionals
@rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
64 followers 3 following 41 posts
We’re over 7,500 Research & Public Service Professionals across the 10 UC campuses who are organizing for fair working conditions to maintain the world’s #1 public research institution. Learn more about us at: https://rpsp-uaw.org/
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UC Research & Public Service Professionals @rpsp-uaw.bsky.social · Mar 21
“Some of the things that I think people are really struggling with is that wages are not keeping up with inflation” – Listen to Emily, Luis, and Austin share the impact of funding cuts
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
RPSPs, Simeon Benit and Leila Espinosa, were on the @majorityreport.fm to speak about who we are, our election win, and how impactful it is to strive for democracy in the workplace!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcN3...
Union Win In Trump Era; Israel's Rolling Annexation w/ Jasper Nathaniel, Simeon Benit Leila Espinosa
YouTube video by The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder
www.youtube.com
September 23, 2025 at 9:31 PM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
Picture and quote from RPSP: "As the daughter of immigrant parents who came to the United States in search of better opportunities — not just for themselves, but for their children — I carry their dreams and sacrifices with me every single day. That’s why supporting a union is deeply personal for me. I’ve been part of the University of California system for over a decade. The UC system has shaped my growth, but I’ve also seen its limits, especially for people who look like me. Supporting a union is about changing that. It’s about ensuring that everyone — regardless of background, degree, or title — has a real chance to grow, thrive, and be recognized for their contributions. It’s about fighting for equity in pay, in opportunity, and in how we are treated in the workplace. I believe in the promise of this institution — I’ve lived it. But I also believe it must do better. That’s why I support this union." - Ejiro Ntekume, UCLA
August 13, 2025 at 3:07 AM
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Picture of RPSP, and a quote: "I love the mission of my day- to-day work at UC, but being on a limited contract with little job security causes annual stress and uncertainty. I feel powerless trying to negotiate the terms of my contract on my own. With a union it won’t just be just me against the UC. We can gain more power to secure things like pay increases, clearer policies on promotions, and improve our options for healthcare, family leave, vacation, and other benefits."
July 26, 2025 at 1:07 AM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
Election Day is going to come quickly! Share with your colleagues and make your plans to vote yes on Day 1: August 18th! #uaw
Announcing RPSP Election Day: August 18th!
July 22, 2025 at 10:30 PM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
Picture and quote from a Research Public Service Professional (RPSP). The quote is: "I study pediatric cancer at UCSC. We are developing new ways to treat kids with cancer and everyone else who has a rare disease. Childhood cancer is a devastating thing. Without federal research funding, we’re going to go backward and lose even more kids than we already are. With a union, research professionals will have more power to protect federal research funding".
July 17, 2025 at 11:13 PM
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Picture and quote from RPSP, Aly Cortella at UC San Francisco. "I love the work that I do here at UCSF; my efforts feel meaningful, and I work with a passionate community of researchers who are dedicated to resolving inequities in health outcomes. I want to keep doing what I’m doing, but despite a supportive supervisor, university policies around pay and career advancement result in being underpaid and struggling with keeping up with the rising cost of living in the bay area. As part of a union, we can collectively push back on poor administrative decisions for staff and demand better pay, benefits, and working conditions."
July 15, 2025 at 10:41 PM
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Picture and quote of RPSP, Brian Justie. "I’ve experienced firsthand the life-changing impact that organizing a union had for thousands of UC workers, who play a critical — but often overlooked — role in the university’s mission. Now as a member of the research staff, it feels particularly urgent that we also organize to secure more equitable working conditions and better prospects for long-term career development. Winning a union will help to ensure that I can continue to do research at UCLA that I am deeply passionate about."
July 11, 2025 at 1:37 AM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
Picture and quote from RPSP member, Ryan Pfleger. Quote: Working at a public university can be fulfilling because of its mission to expand democracy, well-being, and prosperity throughout society. It makes no sense to exclude the university workplace itself from that mission. Why should any of us be compelled to work two jobs to cover expenses such as student loans and rising rents? I want a productive career and a reasonable work-life balance so I can spend time with family, friends, and my nephew. Limited employment contract durations, some which have been less than 1 year, render my future unnecessarily insecure and have me looking over my shoulder instead of expanding my capacities as a researcher. By standing together in solidarity, researchers and analysts have the power to improve working conditions and further the mission of the university.
July 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
Picture and quote of an RPSP. Living in the Bay Area as an analyst means I always have to worry about money. It's unfair that even though my work and those of many other research support staff are critical to the "prestige" of the UC system, it's "too hard" or there "aren't enough funds" from the UCs to guarantee us higher pay, better healthcare and childcare, pension, and more agency and security over our working conditions. If the UCs won't give us better living and working conditions out of their own will, then we need the power of the collective to demand and ensure those conditions. That's why I support forming a union. - Alex Sanchez, UC Berkeley
July 1, 2025 at 1:25 AM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
A picture and a quote from an RPSP. Across my research, teaching, and policy work, I’ve always centered histories and dynamics of exploitation and dispossession, and the ways that communities and movements have responded and tried to build a more just and equitable world. Our places of work at the University of California are among the sites of such struggle, and so our task is not only to improve working conditions, compensation, and protections for ourselves and our colleagues, but also to study and strengthen the connections between our struggles on and off campus. - Hossein Ayazi
June 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
A picture and a quote from an RPSP member. The quote is "My contract with UC Berkeley offers some job security, but not enough. These short term contracts put a mental and financial toll on people. I know we can do better. This is one of the many reasons I support research professionals forming a union. I believe in the democratic bargaining power unions hold and know that we are working towards having a truly representative union that will lead to an improvement in our working conditions." - Rio Gonzalez
June 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
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June 19, 2025 at 3:36 PM
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June 17, 2025 at 10:01 PM
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June 12, 2025 at 8:04 PM
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June 10, 2025 at 9:42 PM
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June 6, 2025 at 6:41 PM
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June 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
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Were you among the thousands of RPSPs, SSAPs, and UAW 4811s who turned out Tuesday to KillTheCuts.org to healthcare, research, and education? What an amazing turnout from ALL TEN CAMPUSES!
April 9, 2025 at 3:39 AM
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Have you RSVPd for tomorrow's rally? Join us on campus or remotely at KillTheCuts.org
A poster advertising KillTheCuts.org -- a website and rally against cuts to medical research and health care
April 8, 2025 at 3:33 AM
rpsp-uaw.bsky.social
Hear Research Administrator Kris Stengl warn about the jobs, medicines, and lives that will be lost due to federal funding cuts and then check out killthecuts.org for ways to fight back!
April 3, 2025 at 12:17 AM
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Join us on April 8th to Kill The Cuts before they kill scientific progress at: killthecuts.org
April 1, 2025 at 3:37 PM
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Hear from Mike McCormack, a Research Data Analyst at UCLA, about why UC staff are joining UAW and participating in the National Day of Action to Kill the Cuts. Then RSVP ⬇
killthecuts.org
March 29, 2025 at 1:52 AM
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Christine Becker, from UC ANR, shares why they support unionization
March 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM
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Ta-Chung Ong, from UC Los Angeles, shares why they support unionization
March 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM
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Aly Cortella, from UC San Francisco, shares why they support unionization
March 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM