Staff at the University of Alaska have successfully voted to form a union.
The group calls itself the Coalition of Alaska University Employees for Equity, or CAUSE-UAW. It’s organizing as part of the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, one of the largest unions in the nation.
The union covers permanent staff, including people who work in financial aid, advising, communications and other areas. It will be the largest at the university. Sixty-four percent of the staff who voted approved forming the union during a two week-long election held last month.
Charlie Banks is an academic advisor at the University of Alaska Anchorage and an organizing committee member with the union. They said they feel ecstatic about the outcome of the vote.
“I am just so incredibly proud of the work that not only our organizing committee has done this past year, but also the hundreds of people who had conversations with their co-workers, and the over 1,100 people who voted yes for our union,” Banks said.
Organizing efforts have taken place for more than a year. Once the results are certified by the Alaska Labor Relations Agency, the union will join five others at the university.
Jonathon Taylor is the director of public affairs for UA. He said the university respects the election results. Because a union has formed, Taylor said the roughly 2,300 employees it covers will not be included in a 3% wage increase the university is budgeted for. Wages and benefits would be decided on during the bargaining process.
“We don’t have a contract in place, so we’ll be respecting the dynamic status quo during this period, which means existing wages, hours, working conditions will remain in place until the first contract is negotiated and agreed to,” Taylor said.
But that might change. The university’s budget is appropriated by the Alaska Legislature. During a House Finance Committee meeting on March 31, Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, brought forth an amendment to the House’s latest version of the state’s operating budget. It allows UA staff to receive that raise if it’s approved by the union and university Board of Regents. Josephson’s amendment passed, but it could be discarded before the state budget is finalized.
Amendment 25 of the House’s version of the operating budget bill states a 3% raise would apply to union members who are “not covered by a collective bargaining agreement that is in effect on July 1, 2026, and the collective bargaining unit of which the employee is a member and the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska approve the salary increases under this section.”
In an email to KTOO on Thursday, Taylor said the university has had limited time to analyze the amendment, but it’s been following state labor law and case law that requires a contract to negotiate wage changes.
“In this case, there is no contract between CAUSE and UA, meaning the university lacks the required legal mechanism to grant raises to CAUSE-represented employees,” he wrote.
Taylor added the university would have a clearer idea of the amendment’s impact if it makes it into the final budget.
The election results are expected to be certified on April 8. After that, Banks said the union will work to understand members’ priorities for a contract and form a bargaining team.
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