TL;DR: You must be a union member to vote on our union bylaws this Monday 3/31. RSVP to the Tuesday 4/8 “Kill the Cuts” protest where we will march in DTLA with other Grad and Postdoc Unions to protest federal attacks on science funding.
But we know that an injury to one of us is an injury to all of us. Within just the first two months of the new US administration, multiple scholars in our academic unit have been affected by the cuts to the National Institute of Health (NIH). Grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) are in jeopardy, as the White House and allied billionaires target science and freedom of academic inquiry.
Access to services, and resources for inclusion and equity, are being decimated across the country, with troublesome consequences for our work-spaces and universities. Through our contract, GSWs and postdocs will ensure that the fight against discrimination and harassment will continue regardless of attempts by the federal government to over-reach its authority. We will protect the rights of international scholars, including the right to free speech. And we will do so with a strong, engaged, and democratic union.
Bylaws
This Monday, March 31st, the first labor union at Caltech will vote to ratify our bylaws. Bylaws govern the day-to-day functioning of our union and determine how democratic input from our membership shapes our collective future. If ratified, our UAW Local 2478 would establish committees such as the Civil and Human Rights Committee, Women’s Committee, and International Workers Committee to address pressing and urgent issues in these trying and turbulent times. To read the draft of the bylaws being voted on, check out our website. Remember: you must become a 2478 member to receive a ballot on Monday.
Kill the Cuts
By cutting funds to lifesaving research and medical care, the Trump administration is costing taxpayers billions of dollars and abandoning families who are suffering. These cuts are dangerous to our health and to our economy. On Tuesday April 8th, 2025, workers across the country are standing up and demanding that there are NO cuts to education and life-saving research.
As a part of the national effort, your local union (UAW 2478) is working together with academic workers from UCLA (UAW Local 4811) and USC (UAW Local 872) to demonstrate that we will not sit by and watch Trump destroy science research. GSWs and postdocs will meet at Beckman Auditorium at 10:30 AM on April 8th, then metro to DTLA and march with USC and UCLA scientists on the Federal Building. There we will protest, share stories demonstrating how the cuts are affecting our workspaces, and learn what we can do to fight back!
If you can make it, wear your CGPU shirt, bring a friend, and RSVP here, and let us know if you have a story to share about your research.
See you at the protest, and don’t forget to vote on Monday,
Desi Ascencio
BBE, G4