About UPTE | About CWA | UPTE Constitution | UPTE Conventions | UPTE Press Releases
About UPTE
University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA 9119, is the union of technical and professional employees at the University of California. Over 13,000 UC employees are covered by UPTE-CWA contracts.
UPTE was founded in 1990 by a group of employees who believed that UC workers would benefit from a union to safeguard and expand our rights. In 1993, UPTE members voted to affiliate with the Communications Workers of America, a 700,000-member union in the AFL-CIO, to better represent our members.
In 1994, UC’s 4,000 technical employees voted for UPTE representation. In 1996, 3,700 research professionals joined them, and in 1997, 2,000 health care professionals followed suit. There are now UPTE locals at all UC campuses, labs and medical centers.
Adjunct faculty at three California community colleges and skilled trades workers at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab are also covered by UPTE contracts. Members of all units elect bargaining committees to negotiate union contracts, engage in actions to support bargaining, provide assistance to members with problems, and participate in UPTE leadership.
More groups of UC employees are organizing with UPTE-CWA to gain a voice on the job, including student services professionals and IT workers. The union also regularly petitions the state’s labor board to add new job titles to its units as their duties evolve. Employees at Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico have built an UPTE chapter, and the Society of Professionals, Scientists and Engineers at Lawrence Livermore National Lab is also affiliated with UPTE. Both locals work to make sure employees at Department of Energy facilities have a voice on the job.
| UPTE is a democratic, member-run union made up entirely of the workers it represents. Decisions are made by UPTE members and their elected representatives. We invite you to join us. |
Essential UPTE documents and information:
- What is UPTE? pamphlet
- What is a union?
- What difference does UPTE make?
- Member resources booklet
- Preserving quality research at UC
- UPTE-CWA Annual Report: 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014
About CWA
CWA stands for the Communications Workers of America, a growing union with about 650,000 members nationally. UPTE affiliated with CWA in 1993, and receives assistance from CWA with organizing, bargaining, and legislative issues. UPTE is part of CWA’s District 9, which has over 60,000 members in California, Nevada and Hawaii.
Most people know CWA as a telecommunications union because it represents employees at SBC/Pacific Bell, AT&T and other big telecom companies. But CWA also represents many other workers, especially college and university employees, newspaper, radio and television journalists, and technical workers of all kinds. For more information,go to CWA’s web site.
UPTE Constitution
Constitution for University Professional & Technical Employees, CWA Local 9119
Amended January, 2018
Article IV: Membership and Dues
Article V: Meetings and Conventions
Article VI: Officers and Elections
Article VII: Duties of Offices and Executive Board
Article VIII: Subordinate Bodies
Article IX: Bargaining Conference
Article XII: Retired Members
Article XIII: Miscellaneous Provisions
Appendix A: Model Campus Local Constitution
The complete UPTE-CWA 9119 Constitution as well as Appendix A and Appendix B can be downloaded as Rich Text Format (rtf) files.
UPTE Conventions
2017 UPTE-CWA Convention:
- Agenda
- Amendments that passed:
- Resolutions that passed:
- Dakota access pipeline
- Student Services organizing
- Scene Tech overtime
- Scene Tech per diem abuse
- Non-members in representation meetings
- Support UPTE stewards
- Against islamaphobia
- Obstruct attacks on DOE
- Adjust job security and seniority
- IT organizing
- In support of Scene Techs
- No corporate political candidacies
UPTE Press Releases
Understaffing and employee turnover endanger patient safety in UC health care operation (04-06-18)
A Return to Tuition Free College For All Can Happen with the $66 Fix (03-13-18)
Under-staffing and employee turnover endanger patient safety in UC health care operations (02-21-18)
AB 848 Press Release: AB 848 Passes, Signed By Governor (10-16-15)
UPTE-CWA members in three bargaining units voted overwhelmingly to ratify historic agreement with UC (12-20-13)
Historic labor agreement at UC on wages, single-tier pension for UPTE-represented employees (12-15-13)
Union Dedicates Contract to Deceased Lab Worker; UC Refuses to Publish Dedication (03-05-12)
Coalition of Family Members and Labor Urge LA District Attorney to Prosecute UCLA Lab Death (01-26-12)
University of California union members join statewide Refund California actions this Wednesday (11-08-11)
UC’s 2500 health care professionals ratify wage increases of 4% plus (11-02-10)
University of California Health Care Professional Vote For Strike Authorization (06-01-10)
UPTE-CWA and University of California Settle Contract for 10,000 Technical and Research Workers (03-24-10)
Grant Revenue Up Dramatically as UC Rejects Proposals to Increase Salaries and Improve Benefits (12-15-09)
UC unions, students and faculty protest the regents’ destruction of public higher education(11-17-09)
Thousands of UC staff, students and faculty to strike, walkout on first day of classes (09-21-09)
UC Employees Overwhelmingly Reject President Mark Yudof (09-03-09)
UC regents award huge pay increases to execs while furloughing staff (07-23-09)
SF Mayor Newsom Honors Picket Line at UCSF Mission Bay Campus to Show Support for UC employees (07-15-09)
UC employees, students join state Senator Leland Yee to protest President Yudof’s proposals, offer alternatives at regents’ meeting (07-24-09)
UC staff, students to protest at regents’ meeting, demand greater scrutiny for taxpayer monies (02-02-09)