August 9, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2023

University of �Ӱ�ԭ��, Proposed Graduate Student Union Reach Settlement on Bargaining Unit

FAIRBANKS - The University of �Ӱ�ԭ�� (UA) and the United Auto Workers (UAW) today signed a settlement agreement concerning which students are eligible to be part of a proposed graduate student �Ӱ�ԭ�� union. The agreement certifies a bargaining unit made up of graduate student �Ӱ�ԭ��s and triggers a union election sometime later this fall.

The agreement is the result of two days of mediation. The UAW originally sought to include some undergraduates and staff �Ӱ�ԭ��s in the graduate student bargaining unit, and the university opposed their inclusion. After reviewing the parties’ briefing, in July, the �Ӱ�ԭ�� Labor Relations Agency (ALRA) excluded undergraduates from the unit; following the two days of mediation, UA and UAW agreed to exclude staff �Ӱ�ԭ��s as well.

UA’s goal has always been to ensure that the unit is both functional and compliant with �Ӱ�ԭ�� law. The University believes this settlement with the proposed unit meets those standards.

Now that a bargaining unit has been agreed to, the next step in this process will be an election sometime in the fall. UA and the UAW are awaiting further instructions from the ALRA regarding when and how an election will be conducted, and the university will provide follow-up information as it becomes available.

The University of �Ӱ�ԭ�� is a land-, sea- and space-grant system of higher education established in 1917. The UA System's three universities (UAA, �Ӱ�ԭ��, and UAS) are separately accredited institutions with campuses and extended learning centers across the state of �Ӱ�ԭ��. The University of �Ӱ�ԭ�� is overseen by the Board of Regents, an 11-member volunteer board established through the �Ӱ�ԭ�� Constitution, and responsible for University of �Ӱ�ԭ�� policy and management through the university president.

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For more information, contact: Jonathon Taylor, UA director of public affairs at jonathon.taylor@alaska.edu, or 907-350-0168.