Our Stories

As a Public Education Specialist, I work behind the scenes to support instructors, coordinate course scheduling and program logistics, and help ensure students have access to high-quality educational experiences. I want to unionize because our work makes a real difference, and the people who make that impact possible deserve respect, dignity, fair compensation, and a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape our work, our livelihoods, and our future.

Gilberto Flores

Public Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

I’m organizing with UAW because I believe workers deserve a say in their workplace conditions and changes to their core job responsibilities. My workload has radically increased since I began this role, but my financial compensation hasn’t kept up. I believe UC workers deserve to have our voices heard about the changes that impact our work every day, which is why I support forming a union.

Jennie Seidewand

Public Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

As a Public Education Specialist at UC Berkeley, I help build partnerships that strengthen California's workforce and support workers and communities. I want to unionize because my coworkers and I deserve a real voice in decisions that affect our jobs. A union would give us stronger protections, fair and transparent wages, meaningful input into our working conditions, and the ability to advocate collectively for the resources we need to serve the public. Public Education Specialists are highly skilled workers who advance the University's mission every day, and we deserve a contract that values our hard work and gives us a strong, democratic voice in our future.

Laura Watson

Public Education Specialist, UC Berkeley

As the Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC Riverside, I lead programs that connect hundreds of lifelong learners with the university through educational courses, community partnerships, fundraising, and volunteer engagement. My work helps fulfill UC's public service mission by expanding access to high-quality educational opportunities beyond traditional degree programs. I support unionization because I believe employees should have a meaningful voice in workplace decisions, fair and transparent policies, equitable compensation, manageable workloads, and strong job protections. When employees are supported, they can better serve the university and the communities that depend on us. I support being a part of UC-UAW.

Johnna Norris

Public Education Specialist, UC Riverside

I'm a Community Education Specialist at UCLA. My program focuses on educating and empowering workers to defend their rights, so I'm excited to be organizing with my coworkers! Prior to this job, I worked as both a GSR and a TA at UCLA. I was there during the exciting time when student researchers came together to join UAW 4811. I experienced firsthand the benefits of our first contract, including raises, workload limits, job security, and transit benefits. As a UCLA employee, I support forming a union so we can advocate for ourselves directly with UC and protect the benefits that matter to us the most.

Theresa Edwards

Community Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

I am excited to join and participate in UC-UAW because I want more stability as a CES on a contract. I believe we need to organize and advocate for ourselves rather than hope UC gives us benefits we deserve, such as job security and better wages with regular raises that account for the rapidly increasing cost of living. Community Education Specialists play vital roles across UC campuses and in our local communities. We have a chance to work together to build power, and that is so important in our current political climate. Mariame Kaba says that “hope is a discipline.” Joining my colleagues in fighting for better working conditions is an act of hope, for me. I believe something better is on the horizon if we can work together!

Jocelyn Cavins

Community Education Specialist, UC Davis

As a Public Education Specialist at UCLA Extension, I support our screenwriting instructors and help create a space where students can hone their craft. After 18+ years at UC, I've learned that even Hollywood plot twists are more predictable than some workplace decisions. We were blindsided when our entire creative marketing department and our instructor trainers were laid off. Many of those responsibilities have now fallen to us—work that was once handled by entire departments. That’s why I want to unionize: so PESs can have a real voice in securing fair pay, protecting our benefits, and improving our working conditions.

Chae Ko

Public Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

I am a Public Education Specialist at UCLA Extension and have worked here for 12 years. My external title is Program Manager. As the only full-time staff member in my unit, I oversee all day-to-day tasks that keep my programs moving smoothly. Despite more than doubling revenue in my program over the last 10 years, my compensation remains well below the mid-level in my salary range. I am ready to making a more livable wage and have more power and support when negotiating workplace issues. I love my job, and I signed a card to form a union because I want more job security and to be fairly compensated for the work that I do.

Melissa McDonald

Public Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

As a CES, I train educators across California and the country to deliver adult environmental education courses that connect people to their local environments and empower them to take action. I want to unionize so I can continue to afford living in the big, beautiful state I call home. The increasing cost of living has made it challenging to find housing in the communities I serve. As an early career employee, I want to build a long-term career with the UC and I believe winning a union contract would create meaningful opportunities for career advancement, fair compensation, and greater job security.

Karyn Utsumi 

Community Education Specialist, UCANR

I serve Californians every day, not only by making our environmental education courses possible with existing partners, but by constantly expanding access to underserved populations and new audiences, and improving the quality and consistency of our participants’ experiences. While doing all of this, my coworkers and I are being asked to do more and more work. We are not compensated for this extra work or properly recognized for it in our yearly reviews, nor are we guaranteed future pay increases. Despite witnessing high turnover and receiving concerned feedback from CES’s and some of our leaders, UC has not taken action to address our increasing workloads, lack of reliable pay increases to reflect our work, or inadequate opportunities for career advancement. I support forming a union so CESs like me can secure equitable and fair workplace protections that will stabilize our roles, our morale, and the organization so we can better serve our communities.

Michelle Peeters

Community Education Specialist, UCANR

I work for the UC Environmental Stewards Program, where I help build community and sustained engagement in environmental and climate causes among our course alumni and instructors. My position is funded by a gift, so the potential end of my position has loomed large in my mind as a distraction to doing my work. UC ANR has also been doing major revamps to their systems, including changing web platforms, logos, volunteer management, learning management, and more. All of this has added considerable work for the CES’s on my team without additional compensation, removing other obligations, or even recognition during annual reviews because “everyone had to do it.”  Forming a union is important to me because I want to see me and my colleagues compensated fairly for their work, and I want to protect both my workload and my position itself through collective bargaining.

Ali Stefancich

Community Education Specialist, UCANR

I have worked at UCLA for about 3 years now and my work encompasses community engagement and training. I think about how long I see myself working at UCLA and I would love the answer to be "forever until retirement," but the reality is that I worry I won’t be able to stay without better retirement benefits and increased transparency around salary decisions. Many colleagues I work alongside in my department are already UAW members, and I want the same benefits and protections. A union contract would ensure that UC honors the incredible work we all do day in and day out. I want to guarantee benefits and protections that allow me to continue excelling at my job without always worrying about job stability or retiring with enough money saved up. I see the hard work my colleagues are doing to help unionize and I am organizing with them because it really does take all of us to unionize!

Jenifer Ramos

Community Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

I love what I do at UCANR. I love my coworkers and the communities I serve. Having a voice in my future is extremely important to me because I see myself retiring from the UC after a long career. As the primary caregiver for my kids (one of whom is disabled), my ability to continue working at the UC hinges on the flexibility and autonomy of my position. Recently, I have found it harder and harder to be able to make ends meet: compensation doesn’t keep up with the cost of living, healthcare costs are rising with diminishing coverage, an ever-increasing workload, etc. By organizing with UC-UAW, Education Specialists can negotiate with UC over our pay, benefits, and work policies. I support forming a union so I can continue giving the UC my best and carrying out my important work, all while providing the best possible future for my family.

Eliot Freutel

Community Education Specialist, UCANR

I work as an Assistant Director with the UCR College Corps program. My coworkers and I each have a caseload of students and community partners. We also plan events, review & approve timesheets, work with  fulltime student staff, manage our workspace, manage budgets, and so much more. I want to unionize in order to get paid a more reasonable wage for the labor I put into my work and advocate for greater protections against work assignments that go beyond  my job description. I want to do my job and do it well, but when I have an ever expanding list of duties I simply cannot put forward the quality of work that meets my expectations. My primary responsibility is to serve my students; if I cannot allocate the time in my day to give them that quality support, then change is desperately needed at UC.

Edward Tapia Pappo

Community Education Specialist, UC Riverside

I came to work for the University of California system as a Community Education Specialist to contribute to improving the lives of our community beyond the direct geographical boundaries of the UC San Diego Campus. As a CES I have the opportunity to work with students, community members and various organizations to improve the quality of life for the San Diego community. San Diego is one of the most expensive cities to live in and the cost of living does not keep up with the benefits and wages the University of California system provides. Higher wages and increased benefits would improve our quality of life, allowing us to plan for long-term stability. The workers are the people who keep University of California campuses running every day. The only way for education specialists to see improvements in our workplaces is to unionize!

Kimberly Barrueta

Community Education Specialists, UC San Diego 

I perform a wide variety of responsibilities in my role, often wearing many hats to help keep our team and operations running smoothly. I've witnessed our workload continue to grow. Our wages should also keep pace with the rising cost of living so that employees can afford to continue living and working in the communities we serve. I want to unionize because I believe we deserve fair pay that reflects the responsibilities we take on every day. Our wages should also keep pace with the rising cost of living so that employees can afford to continue living and working in the communities we serve. Too often, leadership makes decisions that directly affect our day-to-day work without first seeking input from staff who have firsthand experience doing the job. A union would help ensure that employees have a seat at the table, our expertise is valued, and changes are made with the people most impacted in mind. 

Crystal Lopez

Public Education Specialist, UC Los Angeles

I am an academic prep specialist working with high school students throughout the Inland Empire. My work is vital because many students, particularly first-generation college students, need additional guidance when navigating the college-going process and planning for their futures. Academic preparation specialists provide students with support and resources they may not otherwise have access to, and protecting our positions is essential to the educational future of the Inland Empire. I want to unionize because my coworkers and I deserve fair and livable wages, better job protections, and working conditions that allow us to continue serving our students effectively. Strengthening and protecting these jobs ultimately benefits not only UC workers, but also the students and communities we serve.

Christina Fernandez

K to 14 Academic Prep Specialist, UC Riverside