More than 2,100 Tech Workers employed at the University of California have voted to join University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE)-Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9119. With the addition of these System Analysts, Database Administrators and other Information Technology (IT) Workers, UPTE-CWA has become the largest Tech Union in the U.S. The Workers across the UC System voted in the Unionization Campaign in May - 96% of whom supported joining UPTE-CWA. If California’s Public Employment Relations Board recognizes the addition of these Workers to UPTE, it would bring the Union’s size to roughly 26,000 Workers. Max Belasco, a Business System Analyst at UCLA, said: “Millions of Californians rely on the University of California for their health care and education. Until now, we haven’t had the opportunity, as the people who understand AI (Artificial Intelligence), to say: ‘We want a seat at the table.’ If the Workers who provide these critical services to the people of California don’t have the power to demand transparency and advocate for the safe deployment of AI tools, there will be no safeguards in place to ensure AI will be used as anything more than a poor cost-saving measure. Unionized Health Care Workers have set new quality standards across UC Hospitals that save lives - Tech Workers can play the same role when it comes to AI.”

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