Nathan Sandford

he/him, Astronomy Postdoc at the University of Toronto

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

@CharlotteEureka @RutgersU Do y’all have a strike fund that people can donate to?

[UC Union MADE @UCUnionMADE]

We are #UnionMADE -- a slate of workers organizing statewide in UAW 2865 and UAW 5810 around a vision of Mass Action and Democratic Empowerment. Read more about our vision at https://t.co/QxqB8LFgE3 and remember to vote on April 26th and 27th!

[UAW 4811 @uaw_4811]

Join the Movement. Organize Your Workplace. Build worker power. #unionstrong

[dr briley lewis @briles_34]

the @uaw2865 #FairUCNow strike may be over, but my feelings and the effects of our movement sure aren’t.

like many others, the strike changed me, and taught me lots of lessons about myself and about academia — and I wrote about that for @thexylom:

https://t.co/rfi1LYIpjt

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

@merrdiff @sruuaw @uaw2865 @UAW5810 @UAW4121 @uwrunited We certainly are! I hadn’t heard about UW Researchers United—that’s awesome!!

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

Hey #AAS241 attendees! Are you curious how the higher ed labor movement intersects with the field of astronomy? Well, a few UC Berkeley astro folks and I put together an iPoster on our recent union organizing activities with @SRUUAW, @UAW2865, and @UAW5810.

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

Additionally, we want to invite astronomers of all career stages to swing by and share their own experiences of organizing w/in their institutions. We’re excited to learn how astronomers across the US are getting involved in re-shaping academia through collective action!

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

The poster (162.04) is titled “Organizing in Astronomy and Academia: Tales from UCB Astronomy,” and it’s mostly, but not exclusively, about our recent contract campaign and UC academic worker’s strike. Swing by at 5:30 or view online here: https://t.co/hDvjITkoh6!

[UAW 4811 @uaw_4811]

Academic Student Employees and Student Researchers ratified our new contracts!
The vote breakdown was 11,386 to 7,097 for Academic Student Employees and 10,057 to 4,640 for Student Researchers. #FairUCnow

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

@ucsb4cola Wait, what? This is untrue and misleading. These raises are for hourly appointments (e.g., graders & tutors), which can be held by both grads and undergrads. My department also hires a lot of undergrad GSIs/TAs who will see identical raises as grads with the same appointment

[UAW 4811 @uaw_4811]

Our contract ratification votes began this morning and will end on Friday at 5pm. Workers are having important debates about ratification. The the majority of elected leadership of both SRU & UAW 2865 recommend a yes vote, while others oppose. Read the arguments for both below.

[UAW 4811 @uaw_4811]

Here's a 🧵to address a concern that the ASE tentative agreement would create “tiers." For decades, there have been unequal pay scales across campuses arbitrarily dictated by UC. This tentative agreement increases everyone’s take-home pay and makes it more equitable than it was.

[Kaija Gahm @kaija_bean]

If we ratify the proposal currently on the table, my pay will go from $2,525 to $2,777/mo by spring. By the end of the contract, I could make $4,813/mo, as a teaching fellow. With this extra pay, I’ll breathe easier. It will be life-changing for some of my closest coworkers. 1/

[tanzil @only_tanz]

Last night, the SRU-UAW and UAW 2865 Bargaining Teams voted to tentatively agree to new contracts for ASEs and Student Researchers. The teams, including myself personally, recommend you vote YES to ratify both agreements. The vote begins on Monday, 8AM. My feelings below. 1/n

[Nathan Sandford @Nathan_Sandford]

@uaw2865 So excited to vote YES on this contract!! Among many other things, it includes critically needed protections from bullying, harassment, and discrimination that are currently unavailable to student researchers at UC

[UAW 4811 @uaw_4811]

BREAKING - We have tentative agreements that include raises of up to 80% for the lowest paid workers. The strike still continues until the agreements are ratified.

https://t.co/wAFy6mpTgq

[Sarafina El-Badry Nance, PhD @starstrickenSF]

after the largest academic worker strike in US history, UC’s grad student workers reached an incredible tentative agreement. once we ratify, with a 57% base wage increase, 8 week parental/medical pto, and more, this contract will change lives + set new precedents across academia.

[Student Researchers United-UAW @sruuaw]

(1/8) UPDATE: The University may soon be asking Academic Workers to “attest” as to whether we worked, or not, during the strike. They may use “attestation forms” to assess whether or not to deduct pay. Read this thread to know your rights.

[tanzil @only_tanz]

UPDATE FOR UC-UAW WORKERS WHO WERE/ARE ON STRIKE: It seems like the UC is shifting its policy towards withholding pay for struck work, based on communications from LBL's HR division and reports from HR at other campuses. We should be prepared and know our rights.

[UAW Local 5810 @UAW5810]

With a vote of 89.4% voting YES for Postdocs, and a vote of 79.5% YES for Academic Researchers… WE HAVE NEW CONTRACTS! #FairUCNow