Carrying momentum into 2026 and beyond

This year was a huge year for UPTE, thanks to the hard work of our members, leaders, and staff across the state. We ended 2025 with a massive contract victory at the University of California after starting it with one at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. 

All of this despite the political headwinds turning strongly against public healthcare, education, and research. 

Over the course of the year, we brought more than 2,500 workers back into UPTE after UC had excluded their titles from representation for years. When we return in 2026, we will continue organizing in our workplaces: for safety protocols, for safe staffing, for fair pay, and more. 

We will also have to step up our fights with other workers to defend and expand public research, healthcare, and education.

In 2025 we fought and we won. I look forward to fighting together and winning with all of you in 2026 and beyond. I hope you relax and enjoy the winter holidays with loved ones, knowing that years of hard work have paid off. 

In Solidarity,

Dan Russell