Your democratically-elected table team will have its first meeting with UCOP on February 19.
Updates on their negotiations will be posted here throughout the campaign.
Previous Posts
Bargaining Priority 3: Respecting our Autonomy in the Classroom
Technology plays an increasing vital role in our classrooms, but UC administrators unilaterally decide what technologies are used…. Read More
Bargaining Priority 2: Equitable Academic Freedom
As contingent faculty, we are particularly vulnerable to attacks on academic freedom, at the UC and across the United States
… Read More
Bargaining Priority 1: An End to Precarity
Unit 18 lecturers teach 30-40% of credit hours at UC, but the majority of lecturers doing this teaching must reapply for their jobs multiple times before being recognized as permanent employees…. Read More
What are your hopes for the new contract?
Katie Arosteguy“I’d like stronger contract language related to job security, workload, and compensation that recognizes the professional and critical work we do as teachers for the UC.”
Continuing Lecturer, UC Davis Writing Program
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Bargaining Update: Teaching Faculty Pass 2nd Job Security Proposal, UCOP counters with the status quo (5/21)
Your UC-AFT Unit 18 Table Team met for another negotiation session with UCOP on Thursday May 21. The session was held at UCI, where last summer, 48 lecturers in the School of Humanities received layoff notices – something like three quarters of lecturers in the division. Those layoffs have continued throughout the year and many…
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Bargaining Update: Teaching Faculty defend the value of their labor in a Packed Zoom Room (5/7/26)
Key Takeaways: The zoom room was packed with over 200 teaching faculty and students when our bargaining session with UC began on Thursday at 10am. The morning session consisted of moving testimony from our colleagues and students, including those from UC Berkeley’s FPF (Fall Program for First Semester), where 29 lecturers have recently received layoff…
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Bargaining Update: Unit 18 TT Introduces New Article on Technology in the Classroom with powerful testimony from UC Merced Teaching Faculty (4/16/26)
Key Takeaways Testimony on Layoffs Your UC-AFT Table Team gathered for an all day bargaining session with UCOP at UC Davis on Thursday, April 16th. The session opened with powerful testimony from Table Team member Tommy Tran from UC Merced who spoke to the devastating impact of recent layoffs of lecturers, including senior lecturers, on…
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Bargaining Update: Academic Freedom proposal presented with powerful testimony from UC-AFT (3/24/26)
Key Takeaways Article 2: Academic Freedom Members of your UC-AFT Table Team convened another session with UCOP at UCLA on Thurs. March 19th. The big action of the day was when we passed our proposal on article 2 – academic freedom. Our proposal includes significant changes to both the definition of academic freedom and the…
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Bargaining Priority 3: Respecting our Autonomy in the Classroom
UC’s Problem: Lecturers don’t have control over the technologies we are forced to use. Technology plays an increasing vital role in our classrooms, but UC administrators unilaterally decide what technologies are used. UC signs expensive contracts with third-party vendors, giving them access to our course materials and our classrooms without our consent, and imposes technological…
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Bargaining Priority 2: Protecting our Academic Freedom
UC’s Problem: Academic freedom is under attack on campus and beyond As contingent faculty, we are particularly vulnerable to attacks on academic freedom, at the UC and across the United States. Our current contract language concerning investigations and discipline for U18 teaching faculty currently suffers from a lack of clarity and precision – areas of…
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Bargaining Priority 1: An End to Precarity
UC’s Problem: Regardless of status, ALL Unit 18 faculty members are in inherently precarious roles. Unit 18 lecturers teach 30-40% of credit hours at UC, but the majority of lecturers doing this teaching must reapply for their jobs multiple times before being recognized as permanent employees. The pervasive mindset among leadership, from department chairs to…
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Bargaining Update: Meet Your UC-AFT Table Team
UC-AFT is a member-led union and our collective bargaining negotiations are led by democratically-elected representatives from each of our UC campuses. Our 2026 negotiations will be lead by colleagues, who volunteer their time and capacity to fight for the fair contract we deserve. Lead Negotiator (Vice President of Unit 18): John Branstetter, UCLA What are…