This week, I attended a campaign launch with hundreds of UAW members from across the state to support SB607, the California Science and Health Research Bond Act backed by UAW. SB607 will establish the California Foundation for Science and Health Research Council and fund it with a $23 billion dollar bond measure; grants from the Council could directly fund scientific research at JPL and other research institutions. It was incredibly powerful to hear UAW members, university administrators, and politicians speaking in solidarity on the importance of the research that we do at JPL and across the state.
After the event, I spoke with Sen. Weiner about the issues motivating us to form JWU-UAW, including concerns over cuts to NASA funding and a lack of transparency around layoffs. Sen. Weiner made it very clear to me that he supports continued research funding at JPL; We have heard similar sentiments from other supportive politicians we have spoken with, including Representative Chu, Whitesides, and State Senator Perez.
Attending this event reminded me, unequivocally, that we are not facing funding challenges alone. We are a part of a movement of more than 125,000 scientific researchers organizing with UAW from across the country, and when we come together, we can not only protect our jobs, but also protect the incredible scientific projects that we all have dedicated our lives to. If you’re interested in helping organize around SB607 or other political endeavors, reply to this email and a coworker will reach out.
In solidarity,
Sam Berndt