Political Advocacy

JPL workers through JWU-UAW are politically engaged at the City, State, and Federal level to advocate for the innovative and essential work performed by JPL workers in service of the nation. We are committed to furthering JPL’s financial and political interests to ensure a stable environment on the Lab. By forming a union, JPLers would increase our collective power and have an even stronger political voice alongside 125,000 other UAW researchers, scientists, and professional staff.

Political Action to Save JPL Funding

In the last few months, JPL workers organizing with JWU-UAW have communicated with elected political representatives from Southern California on both sides of the aisle to highlight the importance of JPL to American leadership in the aerospace sector and NASA’s financial impact on the local economy. Some examples include Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA, Co-chair of the California Aerospace Caucus), Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA, Co-chair of the California Aerospace Caucus), Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), and State Senator Sasha Renee Perez (D-CA).

In each of these meetings, elected representatives re-affirmed their belief that NASA and JPL are national treasures that must be protected. Recently, Congress passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan Commerce, Justice and Science bill, which reversed most of the aggressive NASA funding cuts enacted by the Trump administration. JWU and UAW Region 6 continue to advocate for funding for the Mars Sample Return mission to bring back valuable samples from the surface of Mars.

I'm honored to stand in solidarity with JPL Workers United in their effort to unionize. All workers have the right to organize to improve working conditions. Together, we will continue to fight to protect the science funding necessary to answer the questions of our universe.

— Judy Chu Campaign (@JudyChuCampaign) October 10, 2025

Public Funding for Science through SB895

The Trump administration has gutted funding for science, especially as it relates to health and climate science. UAW partnered with State Senator Scott Wiener to author the California Health and Science Bond Act (SB895, formerly SB607), which would place a $23 billion bond measure on the CA ballot and establish the California Foundation for Science and Health Research Fund to replenish funds taken away by the Trump administration within key scientific research areas including emerging technologies, climate science, and wildfire research. JPL workers, on behalf of JWU-UAW, are working with State Senator Sasha Renee Perez and other elected leaders to support the bond initiative. JPL is a hub of this type of research in California and could use these funds to stabilize the Lab’s financial situation and continue cutting-edge research in these areas. We hope to form our union and further collaborate with UAW researchers to come up with innovative ideas like the bond to support our work.