Ratification Vote Chart

A chart shared with UAW members during the 2022-23 strike shows the process of reaching a contract settlement.

One of the main challenges in organizing graduate student workers is the large percentage of turnover between graduating and incoming students each year. Collective bargaining and contract ratification involve complicated internal and statutory processes that can seem overwhelming and confusing to new union members. During the UAW Fair UC Now 2022 Campaign, rank-and-file members developed and distributed infographics to help make those processes more legible and educate their co-workers about the multi-step processes it took to settle their contract fight. This example comes from UC Berkeley, where more members who had been through the contract ratification process before developed detailed visuals to share their knowledge and experience with their colleagues.

Infographics explaining the strike process, campus maps of picket lines, and more, are part of the UAW Fair UC Now Campaign 2022 Collection, part of the Wayne State Reuther Library.