Communications, Marketing, and Sales Professionals Union Election-We Won!
Communications, Marketing, and Sales professionals (ComMaS) across UC voted overwhelmingly to form a union to have a stronger voice in the workplace! The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) certified our majority on March 11th. In total, a supermajority of us (67.3% of our unit) voted in this election and 82.4% voted pro-union!
Now that PERB has officially certified our union, we’ll begin negotiating our first contract on May 5, 2026. Our strong turnout in the election shows that we’re united in working for a fair deal that values our contributions to UC. If you haven’t already, fill out the bargaining survey and share it with your colleagues so that our bargaining team can develop proposals that reflect the needs of ComMaS. Fill out the bargaining survey here!
ComMaS are not the first staff at UC to form a union with UAW. We’re going to the negotiating table with the momentum of 60,000 UC-UAW workers, including Research and Public Service Professionals (RPSPs), Student Services and Advising Professionals (SSAPs), Academic Student Employees (ASEs), Postdocs, and Academic Researchers. In particular, our staff colleagues just this year made significant progress on many issues that matter to us as ComMaS. From the results of our bargaining survey, our top 5 priorities are identical to our staff union siblings. Take a look below at the progress UAW staff have made so far.
While negotiations are underway for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between ComMaS-UAW and the UC, the UC must negotiate and reach an agreement with ComMaS before making changes to our working conditions. Doing otherwise would be a “unilateral change” and a violation of “Dynamic Status Quo.”
If you are experiencing what you believe to be a unilateral change to your working conditions or any other workplace issue, please fill out this form and a coworker at your campus will be in touch.
What has our movement of UC-UAW staff already won?
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 joined 60,000 other UC-UAW employees, including 12,000 professional staff from the newly formed RPSP-UAW and SSAP-UAW units who just ratified a contract that immediately and dramatically improved working conditions for staff at UC. The contract includes:
Wages and compensation: At least 27.8% wage increase over 4 years + possible additional raises through the creation of a step wage system based on years of service.
Pathway to career advancement: Fair and enforceable process for reclassifications. All employees are entitled to a clear job description and timely reviews for promotion as responsibilities increase.
Job security: Increased notice for layoffs and 1 week of severance per year worked (up to 16 weeks) or preferential rehire/recall. Automatic conversation of all contract employees to career appointments.
Benefits: Annual caps on healthcare premium increases and monthly subsidies on employee contributions. All current retirement options enshrined in a contract.
Remote/hybrid work: Fair stands for maintaining flexible work arrangements, and right to request a new agreement or appeal modifications. Enforceable protections against arbitrary, discriminatory, or inconsistent decisions for the first time for staff at UC.
You can learn more about what 12,000 of our colleagues won at the bargaining table here.
2026 Contract Action Team (CAT)
What is the Contract Action Team (CAT)?
To win these improvements, SSAPs and RPSPs built a large leadership network capable of mobilizing a majority of staff at UC to participate in taking collective action. Like these units, it is going to take all ~2,000 Communications, Marketing and Sales Professionals (ComMaS) working together to win a contract we deserve. In every department, building, and UC campus, ComMaS are preparing to take action to improve UC and our workplace rights by forming our own Contract Action Team (CAT). The role of the CAT is to build the strong participation needed to win a contract like our staff colleagues and by making sure our coworkers stay informed and engaged through every step of bargaining and beyond.
What do CATs do?
Members of the Contract Action Team commit to:
Publicly participate: be a visible union supporter, sign public petitions, etc.
Keep others informed: inform colleagues on the right and benefits won in the SSAP/RPSP union contract, answer questions and address concerns.
Engage coworkers: ComMaS participate in coming together to put pressure on UC through sign-on letters, rallies, and other forms of collective action—up to and including a strike if justified and necessary
Expand the CAT: identify coworkers who can do all of the above in their own school, department, center, or office suite.
Who are CATs and how do I join?
CAT members are a growing group of hundreds of workers across all 11 UC campuses and the job titles included under ComMaS-UAW. Anyone can become a part of the CAT and/or recommend a colleague they believe should be! Get started by signing up for a 45-minute training on the basics of bargaining and what comes next in the COMMAS-UAW contract campaign.
How are CATs organizing around the California Science Bond?
The California Science and Health Research Bond Act (SB 895) is a bill UAW members helped draft that would place a $23 billion bond measure for scientific research on the California ballot this November. As SB 895 begins to progress through the California legislature, now is the most critical time for UC employees to stand together and show mass support for the bill. SB 895 would help offset the University's operational costs and make it easier to protect UC jobs from budget cuts.
CATs are supporting the bond by talking with colleagues about signing onto the petition and turning out to the May 4th rally to deliver the petition supporting SB 895. The rally will be held in our state capitol with UAW president Shawn Fain and UC President James B. Milliken. If you are able to attend the rally in Sacramento, make sure to RSVP when you sign the petition in order to reserve your seat on the union buses being arranged from campus. And no matter where you are, invite your colleagues to sign the petition to help advance the #1 legislative priority shared by our union as well as UC leadership.
“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
“When I was first offered my current position, I hesitated accepting it because it was non-represented. My past experience being part of a union has not only benefited my work life, but educated me tremendously on standards and protections that were only made possible through unionization efforts. I was able to see first-hand what benefits were offered to myself against my non-represented co workers such as maintaining health benefit costs low. I want to unionize to ensure everyone has a voice in shaping our professional experiences across UC.”
—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
“What's important to me is that everyone have the chance to make the decision for themselves whether they want to join a union. I want to form this union because it is good to have a strong voice and a seat at the table when decisions are being made about our working environment and the policies that directly affect us.”
—Lorena Anderson,
Senior Writer, UC Merced
“I value the work that I do and am motivated by the impact it has on many lives. I appreciate my colleagues and am grateful to have a supportive manager. I support unionizing because I want greater job security and a clear, transparent path for advancement. After five years in a soft-funded position, I regularly face the uncertainty of contract renewals and continued employment. Being part of a union would strengthen my voice and help create more stability and defined opportunities for growth.”
—Melissa Paschuck,
Digital Communications Specialist, UCSF
“It's super thrilling to be part of this movement with thousands of folks across the state! A new union with UAW will help improve working conditions for all UC marketing and comms staff. We deserve the right to have a seat at the table to negotiate stronger protections and benefits for all.”
—Suzanne Spencer,
Communications Manager, UC Berkeley
“Communicators are the core visionary leaders of organizations. It’s time we use our collective voice and power to improve our working conditions. By forming this union, we are investing in ourselves and building a better workplace for the next generation of communications, marketing, and sales leaders.”
—Daisy Becerra,
Digital Communications Specialist, UCSF
“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
“I've been at my job for close to 20 years. I get excellent evaluations and lots of positive feedback, but my pay has stagnated. To get a decent salary increase, we have to go through the time-consuming process of a step increase or reclassification. Even with the support of supervisors and managers, the decision is ultimately up to HR. With a union we have the power to negotiate to make the process for raises and promotions more clear and equitable for all staff at UC.”
–Jenifer Macgillvary,
Publications Production Specialist, UC Berkeley
“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’m committed to voting to form this union to empower myself and my fellow communications, marketing, and sales colleagues to fight for job security against AI, livable wages, flexibility with hybrid work, and affordable healthcare costs. We have a lot more people power than we realize!”
–Nathalie Munoz,
Program Manager, UC Berkeley
“As a whole, our classification of Comm level 3 sits below the campus-set midpoint salary, and the "high" point is unattainable. I support forming a union to be able to negotiate with UC leadership to improve equity and guarantee wages that reward experience and account for the rising cost of living.”
–Diana Stasko,
Communications Specialist, UC Berkeley
“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.