Frequently Asked Questions

The ratification vote of our first UAW contract starts Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 9 AM PT and ends on Thursday September 24, 2026 at 5PM PT. Ballots will be sent out through a secure, online voting platform called SimplyVoting; looks for the subject line: “Your Ballot for the Commas-UAW Contract Ratification Vote”. If you have any issues with accessing your ballot, fill out this form.

All ComMaS are eligible to vote.

This Agreement is the direct result of organizing from 2,000 ComMaS across the University of California system, along with the support of 12,000 RPSPs and SSAPs who ratified their contract last March. Following the recognition of our unit, seven months of bargaining, and a high participation open letter to the UC president, UC management signed a full tentative agreement with the our Bargaining Team on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

You are eligible to vote regardless of whether you opt-in to be a full dues-paying member. That said, becoming a dues-paying member is an important part of the ultimate effectiveness of this contract. A large majority of ComMaS signing up to be dues-paying members as we vote on ratification sends a clear message to the university that we are prepared with resources to enforce our new rights and benefits. All UAW dues-paying members contribute 1.44% of their gross monthly pay to pool our resources and fund legal expertise, train employees about their rights, and bargain for more improvements.

Ratification votes are secret ballot votes. The secure online voting platform Simply Voting will be used. Eligible voters received an email with their unique direct link to access their ballot. This link SHOULD NOT BE SHARED. When the voter accesses and submits a ballot, the results are encrypted, anonymous and cannot be changed. After voting, the voter will receive an email receipt and is then blocked from voting again. 

Yes. Until a future agreement determines each alleged supervisor’s eligibility, you can (and should!) participate in our union and our union’s position is that you are covered under our contract. Our union and UC will work with PERB, the state labor board, to resolve these eligibility disputes. PERB has a the final say in the aforementioned process. You can also complete the membership form, but your membership would likely not start until the dispute is resolved!

Becoming a member is a vote for more power and agency in the workplace. As UAW-represented workers, we only have power to negotiate with UC management because a majority choose to become dues-paying members and bargain collectively.

All UAW members contribute 1.44% of our wages as union dues, so that we have the collective resources necessary to enforce our contract and negotiate on equal footing with UC. Members also set our union’s priorities: electing officers, setting bargaining priorities, and voting on important decisions like contract ratification. 

UAW dues, as voted on by membership, are 1.44% of your salary, plus a one-time initiation fee of $10. Dues are deducted from your paycheck monthly. Member dues are the sole source of funding that provide our union with the resources necessary to bargain and enforce a strong contract.

Our union is of, by, and for UC employees, which means no outside funding. Membership dues ensure we are accountable only to each other, not to outside funders.

One portion of our dues will support the day to day work of our union at UC: preparing for and engaging in contract negotiations, enforcing our contract, educating coworkers about their rights, and hiring staff to support members in organizing and building our collective strength.

We are also a part of the broader International Union UAW, and another portion of dues goes towards the International Fund, which provides expertise and support regarding negotiations, contract enforcement, legal assistance, and most importantly helps support other groups of workers to form unions with UAW. Some of this money will also go to support new organizing efforts of other workers at UC — just as we were supported throughout this process of forming ComMaS!

The remaining portion goes towards the UAW Strike and Defense Fund, which provides benefits and a financial safety net in the event that members vote to strike. A majority of UC-UAW staff voted overwhelmingly in our Strike Authorization Vote (SAV) last month knowing that, if circumstances justified withholding our labor, all workers would have access to financial assistance through the UAW Strike Fund. 

UC-UAW staff formed our union and negotiated a strong contract through the financial support of hundreds of thousands of UAW members across the country. Now that we have a contract, we need our own resources to enforce the contract, continue to build our power, and help more workers join our movement at UC and beyond.

The Voluntary Community Action Program (V-CAP) is our union’s political action program, which includes a fund made up of voluntary contributions from UAW members. The money is used to support legislation and political candidates endorsed by UAW members. As public employees at the UC, state & federal law can either expand or undercut the rights and benefits we win in our collective bargaining agreements.

V-CAP is the main way that members pool collective resources to fight right-wing attacks on the working people, expand our rights, and fund public higher education. For instance, V-CAP contributions are used for the campaign to pass a $23 billion bond, Save Science Save Lives, to fund science, education, and healthcare in California.

All workers in ComMaS job titles are automatically included in the bargaining unit and will benefit from the contract upon ratification. Being a member means contributing your share to the collective pool of resources we need to enforce our rights, fight for future improvements, and ensure strong workplace protections. UC sees our membership numbers as a sign of that strength, unity, and leverage to hold them to their end of the agreement.

Yes. UC doesn’t make this determination, the state labor board does. Until a future agreement with the state labor board determines each alleged supervisor’s eligibility, you can (and should!) fully participate in our union, including becoming a member.