Communications, Marketing, and Sales Professionals Union Election
Communication, Marketing, and Sales professionals (ComMaS) across UC are voting to form a union so that we can have a stronger voice in the workplace. On February 25th at 9am, everyone in a ComMaS job title will receive a secure electronic ballot where you will have the opportunity to vote to form ComMaS-UAW. Voting will close on March 10th at 5pm.
Hundreds of us are talking with colleagues about gaining greater power to protect what we value about our jobs and improve what’s lacking. Through this election, we have the opportunity to affirm our support for joining the movement of UC-UAW professional employees at the forefront of advancing our workplace and the mission of the University of California.
How do I know if I’m eligible to vote?
If you receive a ballot on February 25th, you are eligible to vote! Anyone who was employed by UC in one of the ComMaS job titles as of January 15th, 2026 will receive a ballot and is highly encouraged to vote. Even if you are leaving your position soon, it’s important to vote because the more votes there are for ComMaS-UAW, the more power we will have to win improvements and protections for ourselves and future colleagues. See the FAQ or the election agreement for more details and the full list of job titles included.
We have a clear choice in this election
Here at UC, over 150,000 unionized employees help make UC one of the most impactful institutions in the world. Our rights and benefits as ComMaS are lagging behind our unionized colleagues, and it shows: colleagues in our job classes have already been targeted for layoffs amid the ongoing turmoil of federal attacks against higher-ed, a tightening economy, and the rush to embrace AI. In this time of uncertainty, ComMaS want three things:
To show up for UC every day
To be valued for the work we do
To have a say in the decisions that affect our work
Unionizing gives us a powerful collective voice to advocate for the stable, sustainable working conditions we need to continue showing up every day. If a majority of us vote to form our union (ComMaS-UAW), UC will be legally obligated to meet us at the bargaining table and negotiate with us on important issues like pay, return-to-office policies and layoff practices rather than unilaterally making decisions without our input.
The more ComMaS who vote pro-union in this election, the more power we will have to join our colleagues already bargaining for transformative improvements to our workplace.
What is our movement of UC-UAW staff already bargaining for?
Our unionized colleagues at UC are already making tremendous strides, raising standards in the workplace while successfully advocating to stop cuts and expand the streams of funding our jobs depend on. By unionizing with UAW, ComMaS will join 60,000 other UC-UAW employees, including 12,000 professional staff from the newly formed RPSP-UAW and SSAP-UAW units who are bargaining right now. These colleagues are already laying the groundwork for new rights and benefits that ComMaS could also win if we vote in large numbers to unionize. Through bargaining, we aim to:
Ensure career progression aligns with increased responsibility and workload
Retain talented staff by prioritizing excellence over rigid in-office requirements
Strengthen job security and protections for a respectful work environment
Guarantee wage growth so that staff can afford to live in the communities they serve
You can learn more about what 12,000 of our colleagues are already bargaining for in their list of initial bargaining demands.
“Communications workers at UC are often the only one in their department and it's easy to feel isolated. Even if you're in a department with lots of other communications workers, it can be hard to speak up against obstacles to doing your best work or difficult working conditions. When we form a union, we speak with a voice louder than our own and act with a vast collective presence to advocate for our workplaces and our jobs.”
—Holly Ober,
Media Communications Specialist, UCLA
“I love my job and that I can do it effectively from Washington State, where I live. I joined UC in fall 2020, when everyone had miraculously pivoted so quickly to remote work to keep UC going. But since that initial all-for-one feeling, UC has mandated specific in-office days for hybrid folks in our unit, complicated things for people who want to move, and made remote telework agreements subject to annual review. It feels precarious, destabilizing, and it craters morale. I want to unionize to have more power to increase job security and transparency from UC, and I want a real say in what happens with hybrid and remote work.”
—Julie Van Pelt,
Publications Production Specialist, UCOP/UC Press
“Coming soon...”
—Jose Diaz,
Marketing Specialist, UCSC
“In my 11+ years at UCLA, I have felt fortunate to work with a staff of intelligent, engaged, and compassionate people who deserve to have a greater say over our working conditions. By forming a union, we will have a stronger voice to improve our work environment so that all workers feel valued and respected. When we have greater input over the decisions that impact us, we’ll be more able to build clear, sustainable career pathways at the UC.”
—Philip Leers,
Digital Communication Specialist, UCLA
“I support ComMaS unionizing because I want our colleagues to have a voice. In this rapidly changing political environment and as budget cuts threaten our work and our jobs, it's more important than ever to protect staff and ensure all employees have the ability to negotiate for equitable pay and benefits, opportunities for promotions, and protections against overwork.”
—Taytum Sanderbeck,
Communications Specialist, UCSF
“Even though I have a supportive manager and team, I support ComMas unionizing because I want to help my colleagues gain greater protections and benefits in the long run. I love being a UC employee and want to ensure I can continue a career with the university system, even in the face of rising cost of living and healthcare premiums. I also believe in advocating for greater retirement benefits to ensure everyone can retire after a career in public service.”
—Laney Mae Velazquez,
Marketing Specialist, UCSC
“Forming a union is important because it is the only way for workers to have a collective voice in the working conditions that affect our lives and livelihoods. Unionization means community, it means belonging, it means agency, and it means solidarity.”
—Adra Bowman,
Marketing Specialist, UCSC
“I love my job. Being in a union will increase our power to help keep it that way. By forming ComMas-UAW, we can have a say in decisions that affect us and greater ability to expand what's working well.”
–Jeff Anderson,
Publications Production Specialist, UCOP/UC Press
“I came to UC 8 years ago because I’d seen how my team’s work had a real impact on people’s lives. I’ve watched my colleagues who make that work possible ride a terrifying roller coaster the past year, not knowing whether they would have the funding to continue the work. One of the most hopeful things I’ve seen is the way that unions have stepped up to fight senseless policies and devastating cuts and won, bringing back hundreds of millions of funding. I’m excited to form a union so we can support each other and stand up for what we do. When we unionize, we make all of UC stronger.”
–Rebecca Griffin,
Communications Specialist, UCSF
“As Communications, Marketing and Sales professionals we help articulate the importance of the science, research, and education happening at the UC. The work we do is valuable and worth protecting. We deserve a seat at the table. By joining UAW, we have more power to protect what we love about our jobs and improve our workplaces (compensation, free speech, equity, benefits, career advancement). During these uncertain times, we need to collectively take part in shaping our future, and support our most vulnerable colleagues.”
—Farah Hamade,
Publications Production Specialist, UCSF
“I support forming a union with UAW now more than ever because of the federal government’s attack on science that’s leading to cuts and layoffs across UC. UAW members have spearheaded a California initiative that would provide $23 billion in research funding, helping to insulate UC from federal cuts and safeguard jobs. By joining this union, we can amplify the power of UC staff to protect our mission-driven jobs.”
–Crystie Dao,
Communications Specialist, UC Davis
“Research shows that unions have a powerful positive impact on workers’ lives. Unionized workers earn 10-20% more on average than their non-unionized counterparts. Unions help close inequitable wage gaps experienced by women, Black workers, and Hispanic workers. And unionized workers are more likely to have stronger job security, a safer work environment, and robust health care and pension benefits. My hardworking colleagues deserve all of these fundamental labor protections, and nothing less.”
–Emily Jo Wharry,
Digital Communications Specialist, UCLA
Our Vote, Our Voices
“I’m voting yes in support of the union because we as workers should have a powerful voice in determining what our work conditions and benefits are, including remote work, health care costs and protections against AI.”
—Delan Bruce,
Writer Editor, UCLA
“Communications, Marketing, and Sales professionals (ComMaS) work on every campus as the storytellers of UC. I love so many aspects of my work, but all that could change tomorrow, and I would have no power to advocate for preserving the things that matter most to me in my job. And I know that not everyone across UC (or in my job class, or even in my own unit!) has the same good experience I do. Forming a union is how I can have a say in protecting the uniquely great parts of my job and fight for my colleagues who deserve to have those things in their own jobs.”
-Stephanie Summerhays
Publications Production Specialist, UCOP/UC Press
How We Got Here: Growing our Power as UC Professionals
This effort began when Communications, Marketing, and Sales professionals (ComMaS) at several UC campuses were inspired by many of our colleagues in research and student support began unionizing. In early 2025, ComMaS came together in an organizing committee with colleagues across the UC and began reaching out to others in our job titles to learn about shared issues and priorities. We also launched a climate survey to learn more about our colleagues’ experiences, which later led to a more in-depth bargaining survey (which you can take here!). In the fall of 2025, ComMaS organized town halls and signed hundreds of union authorization cards to qualify us for a union election.
In hundreds of conversations over the last few months, ComMaS have expressed enthusiasm for our jobs and appreciation for our colleagues. But we also see a strong need for a collective voice to increase equity and address urgent issues. Workloads are increasing. It never seems to be “a good time” for that overdue promotion. Flexible work arrangements are constantly being “reevaluated” or revoked. Pay is stagnating as cost-of-living skyrockets. And equity is nonexistent, with some of us enjoying far more generous and supportive working conditions than others regardless of merit or experience.
Forming a union will prevent unilateral, arbitrary changes to the things we currently enjoy about our jobs and also empower us to fight for much-needed improvements for all ComMaS.