Expanding Democracy and Participation at all levels of our Union
Members are the union, and knowledge is power! Democracy works best when it is based on a common understanding of how things work. Members of the SDU slate are committed to expanding our union’s democratic structures and mass participation.
This means:
- Equipping scientists to enforce their rights and build power through education, 1:1 mentorships, and frequent Know Your Rights and organizing skill trainings
- Building supermajority membership at every department, throughout the State
- Orienting every new scientist to their union within 30 days of hire
- Empowering new leaders of our union and building our capacity through organizing committees and sustainable steward structures
A Powerful, United 2027 Contract Campaign
We are stronger together and have more in common than we have differences. Our power to win at the bargaining table is directly related to our level of unified mass participation. We are committed to building solidarity across rank-and-file, supervisory, and managerial Scientists. We are one union, and SDU is committed to building a supermajority at every level of the State so we, together as Scientists, have the power to win.
Our Plan to Win:
- Democratic, Member-Led Demands: Democratic, participatory priority setting by being fully transparent in the construction of our 2027 bargaining demands. This includes, but is not limited to, bargaining conventions and bringing more members to the table through open bargaining.
- Escalating Collective Action: Building power both at and away from the table through strategic escalation. As workers, we know high levels of unified participation don’t happen on their own. Building sustained participation starts with building confidence through collective action. We are committed to organizing member actions to empower bargaining demands up to and including a supermajority strike (if justified and strategic).
- Solidarity across unions: We are stronger together. SDU is committed to building on the worker solidarity that developed between bargaining units in the return to office (RTO) fight. We are committed to solidarity with other unions bargaining in 2026 (SEIU Local 1000) and in 2027, to increase our leverage and win stronger workplace rights and protections for ALL state workers.
Building Political Power
As a unified, organized local union of >6,000 State Scientists, we have the power to influence who our next boss will be. We are also a critical force, not just in California, but in the broader fight against Trump-era austerity and attacks on working people. To defeat the Trump administration’s anti-worker tactics and draconian policies, and to win real governing power for workers, we are committed to:
- Fighting the assault on science, higher education, research funding, and the labor movement through mass action, coalition-building with other unions and progressive organizations nationwide, and direct strategic engagement with lawmakers.
- Working with our allies to pass pro-worker legislation at all levels, such as expanding the right to organize, ensuring public sector workers are entitled to interest on wage theft claims, improving paid family leave benefits, implementing pro-worker climate policies and expanding scientific programs to include more State Scientists dedicated to protecting people and the environment
- Building our political strength to play a decisive role in the 2026 midterm elections, and the 2026 California gubernatorial race, to elect pro-worker candidates into seats that will champion our pro-worker agenda
State Scientists as Part of the Broader Labor Movement
Now, more than ever, it is essential that we not only defend our right to organize but also expand the labor movement to improve standards and working conditions for all working people. We pledge to continue working with other workers and our siblings in UAW and other unions to lead efforts to increase unionization in the public sector, in higher education, in the field of science, and across other industries by:
- Continuing to work alongside our UAW Region 6 siblings in higher education and support building new unions across the western US, so we have a broad coalition that is capable of resisting assaults on public science, research, and education
- Fighting for a just transition alongside our UAW siblings in the auto industry, ensuring new green jobs are good union jobs as we transition away from fossil fuels
- Strengthening union democracy by building on reform victories in the UAW like the historic One Member, One Vote
- Preparing CAPS-UAW for May Day 2028 when UAW members across the country are preparing for mass action to support workers.
- Collaborating with other unions, including the California Federation of Labor Unions, to build solidarity with workers outside of the UAW
We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow workers, and fight for a sustainable future for the entire working class.
Click here to learn about the Spring 2026 Election.