Bargaining Update #13: We have a tentative agreement—voting begins next Thursday

After two days of mediation and nearly five months of bargaining, we are thrilled to announce a significant victory—our collective power, including each and every UPTE member, has led to a tentative agreement with Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC. A majority of members will see a twenty-five percent increase over five years. That success is a testament to our unity and determination in fighting for competitive wages, better benefits, and fairness at work.

Now, we plan to solidify our gains. Next week, from Thursday, January 23, to Thursday, January 30, 2025, we will hold an online vote to ratify our hard-fought tentative agreement. Your participation in the vote is crucial to our collective success. Next week, we will release more of the details of our tentative agreement at upte.org/llnl.

Your bargaining team is unanimously recommending a YES vote for ratification. A YES vote indicates that you accept this deal and want the included pay increases to occur as soon as possible. Voting NO means you reject this deal, want the bargaining team to return to the table, and are willing to join in actions up to and including a strike, if necessary.

We improved our contract to strengthen our union, streamline dispute resolution with management, and enhance transparency. We hope these improvements will help us build a better relationship with management.

To learn more about the next steps, including details of our tentative agreement, our contract ratification vote, and how to build off of our momentum, join us:

📅Wednesday, January 22, 2025
📍Site 300 Experimental Test Site, at the picnic tables
🕛12 pm

📅Thursday, January 23, 2025
📍Site 200 Main Laboratory, near the paint shop
🕛12 pm

Fair pay, better working conditions, and improved job security are only won when we all participate together. We can continue building a stronger, more inclusive union representing the goals and priorities of every University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) member at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Remember, this is your Lab as much as – no, more than – management’s.

In solidarity,

Alonzo Agrendo
Laureto Abella
Matt Epperley
Mike Vasquez
Mike Wilson
UPTE Bargaining Team @ Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory