From JPL’s Website: Facts about unions

What They Wrote

Our Response

A union operates like a business; its main source of money comes from dues, fees, and assessments paid by employees represented by the union. These funds may be withheld directly from employee paychecks.

A union is an organization of employees joining together to advocate for themselves. This contrasts sharply with a business, which is an organization that provides goods or services in order to increase profits. UAW members pay dues, which are 1.44% of gross pay and a one-time $10 initiation fee, after the first contract is ratified. Dues are a critical component of providing JWU-UAW with independent resources that are not controlled by JPL. The funds will be used to ensure we have appropriate legal, bargaining, community, and staff support to represent JPLers during future negotiations. During negotiations, JPLers will get to decide what sort of union security clause we want in our contract, which could include automatic dues deductions for convenience, or whatever else we decide. For more information about dues, please also read our extensive dues questions on the FAQ.

The more employees a union represents, the more membership dues and fees the union can collect. Therefore, unions have a vested interest in organizing more employees.

    We - JPL workers - are forming a union in order to improve our working conditions, protect space science, and have a meaningful voice at work. This effort was started by JPL workers and is being led by JPLers at every step in the process. We reached out to UAW in Spring 2024 because of their track record of success, including helping Caltech graduate workers and postdocs and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab postdocs form their unions and win strong contracts.

      We believe the best way to advocate for JPL and all its employees is to do so without internal divisions. We believe that the best way to continue to build on and strengthen our collaboration at JPL is by listening, evolving, and problem solving – together. Working together has allowed us to accomplish incredible scientific achievements – to “Dare Mighty Things.”

      JPLers have found leadership’s approach to layoffs, RTO mandate, reorg, etc., to be divisive. We started the process of unionizing to be able to sit down with upper management as equals and have a say about the working conditions on Lab.

      We believe that the best way to strengthen JPL is by joining the hundreds of thousands of workers who have unionized in their workplace to improve their working conditions and fight attacks on science. We agree that working together has allowed us to accomplish incredible scientific achievements, and we believe the best way to “Dare Mighty Things” is by joining together to form JWU-UAW.

      Most private sector employees are not represented by a union. More than 90% of private sector workers have a direct working relationship with their employers and can discuss their pay and benefits and collaborate with their employer about changes and improvements without paying a union to represent them.

      Researchers, scientists, and academic workers are increasingly forming unions. A union’s strength comes from workers being able to collectively bargain to improve their workplace. Individual employees have very limited power in negotiating changes to their working conditions, but by joining together those same workers can meaningfully impact their conditions and bargain for improvements. That is why UAW alone has over 125,000 members at research institutions and is part of a growing wave of unionization at academic and research institutions.

      Unions can…Charge their members dues, impose fees, and level fines and assessments on their members, even those who voted against the union or those who did not vote

      Any UAW member who believes another member (including elected leaders) has violated a provision of the democratically approved constitution/bylaws may file a complaint. This is a good thing: it ensures that everyone can be held equally accountable (including leaders and representatives). At JPL without a union, workers have far less power or processes that enable us to hold leadership accountable. Only suspension or expulsion from membership (or UAW elected office) can be imposed in violation of union bylaws, so it is not clear to us what management means when they say “discipline,” “penalties” or “fines.”

      Unions can…Determine which issues to prioritize in contract negotiations with the employer

      We are the union, and therefore we - JPL employees - would determine what to prioritize in contract negotiations through bargaining surveys, townhalls, conversations with colleagues, and approving initial bargaining goals. At each step of the process, JPL employees would be involved in determining what we bargain for to improve our own working conditions.

      Unions can…Make proposals as part of the negotiations process on behalf of their members, although the employer has no obligation to agree with the union’s proposals

      In UAW, JPL workers would democratically elect a bargaining team of fellow JPLers. The bargaining team will consider input from JPLers on bargaining proposals, and work with other JPL workers to draft them. Once JWU-UAW’s bargaining team and management reach a tentative agreement on the contract, JPL employees would vote whether to approve the contract. By definition, bargaining is when two parties discuss proposals and counter-proposals until reaching an agreement. Currently, we have no way to negotiate over our working conditions.

      Unions can…Decide to act, or refuse to act, on a member’s grievance

      Unions can…Represent all employees in the bargaining unit, even those who voted against the union or those who did not vote

      Once we file cards, we will have an election and all employees in the bargaining unit will have the chance to vote to form our union. If a majority of workers vote to have a union, then our union will be certified and represent JPL workers. JPLers will share input and priorities at every step of the process, including voting to approve the contract.

      Unions can…Require members to engage in a strike or work stoppage

      While striking is a powerful tool for workers to achieve our objectives, we would decide democratically whether or not to call a strike. Under the UAW constitution, a strike can only occur after a vote in which 2/3 of members voting authorize their elected representatives to call a strike. If JPL workers vote to authorize a strike and then actually call the strike, JPLers could decide whether to actively participate and we would take sufficient time to prepare critical assets to maintain a safe state until work could be resumed.

      Unions Cannot…Guarantee specific terms of employment, like higher wages, better benefits, or a fixed, flexible, or remote work schedule

      Our ability to win strong terms in our contract depends entirely on the strength of our campaign and how many workers participate in forming our union and collective bargaining. The more people who participate, the more power we have to win things like higher wages, better benefits, flexible remote work, or whatever we choose to prioritize. Once we vote to ratify a contract, the terms are guaranteed and upper management cannot make unilateral changes.

      Unions Cannot…Prevent layoffs

      Unionized workers have successfully bargained with their employers over alternatives to layoffs. For example, CalArts faculty and staff recently formed a union and negotiated alternatives to layoffs even before they won a contract, including Voluntary Separation Plans with up to 1 year of pay and Bridge to Retirement plans with up to 18 months of pay.

      Workers through their unions cannot always prevent layoffs, but by bargaining together we can have a meaningful voice over layoff policy which would mitigate the uncertainty, confusion, and powerlessness associated with these painful events. For example, CalArts faculty and staff organized against layoffs and won three months of pay and healthcare coverage for impacted employees.

      Unions Cannot…Guarantee that an employer will enter into a contract with the union

      Once our union is certified, JPL management will be legally required to bargain with JWU-UAW over our working conditions. Both the employer and the union are required to bargain “in good faith,” i.e. both parties must meet and confer over conditions of employment. Thousands of workers organizing with UAW in the last few years have ratified first contracts at institutions such as Caltech, the University of California, the National Institutes of Health, University of Southern California, the University of Washington, the University of Alaska, and many more.

      Unions cannot…Guarantee employment

      Through collective bargaining, JPLers will be able to negotiate over working conditions, including layoff policies, just cause for discipline or termination, pathways to promotion, and more. Right now, no terms or conditions of our employment are guaranteed. By forming a union and enshrining policies into a legally-binding contract, we will have far more protection than we currently have.

      Unions Cannot…Prevent termination for just cause

      By forming a union, we could negotiate to establish just cause protections. Many union contracts include just cause articles which require management to provide transparent information about discipline and dismissal, the right to be represented by a peer union representative, and a timely grievance process that could be followed if an employee feels they have been targeted unfairly. Of course, we would not want to prevent termination for just cause, but having protections ensures all cases of discipline or termination are fair. Currently, management unilaterally decides to terminate employees and there are no clear channels for recourse.

      Unions Cannot…Unilaterally establish job standards

      Right now, we are all covered by policies created unilaterally by upper management. JPLers currently have no representation and major decisions that impact our lives are ultimately made by senior management without our input.

      Under collective bargaining, JPL workers would be able to negotiate terms which neither entity would be able to unilaterally set or change.

      It is through collective bargaining over workplace conditions that other unions have won powerful improvements including flexible remote work policies, fair processes for layoffs, year-over-year raises, and more.

      Unions Cannot…Fire or transfer managers

      JPL employees do not want to be involved in managerial hiring decisions. However, in the event of an issue, many contracts include language that explicitly prohibits bullying, harassment, and discrimination based on common workplace abuses, including discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, and disability. A union contract can also include language that compels JPL to address problems in a timely manner and provide greater accountability. For example, at Caltech, the graduate student workers and postdocs won protections against harassment and discrimination that include clear timelines, interim measures, and a process for a neutral, third-party arbitrator to make the final decision on disputes. Coworkers also take collective action to support one another and ensure complaints are satisfactorily addressed.