As an academic worker I have had the opportunity to contribute to important human genetics research. However in my workplace, myself and thousands of others have faced harassment and discrimination, inadequate pay, unsafe working conditions, and overall lack of support. Through organizing for the formation of our union SRU-UAW, I have had the opportunity to fight for the workplace that we deserve. This past year in 2022, 48,000 academic workers at [my university] across four units went on strike at the same time to win new contracts and bring transformative change to our workplace. As academic workers we are the reason that the university produces groundbreaking research and is known for its high quality of instruction. We are workers that deserve adequate pay and fair working conditions and because of our union we have been able to win the protections and rights we deserve.
