This post was updated Nov. 13 at 1:26 a.m.

Five thousand University of California workers filed to form a new union Friday.

The union – representing student services and advising workers – will join the United Auto Workers, according to a press release from the Student Services & Advising Professionals at the University of California. UAW already represents academic student employees, graduate student researchers, and academic and postdoctoral researchers across the UC through its 4811 chapter.

The workers filed to form the union with the state Public Employee Relations Board at noon Friday.

Sean Campbell, an admissions and recruitment worker at UCLA, said in a video announcing the union’s formation that he believes the arbitrary enforcement of University policies means workers are not able to dictate their working conditions.

Nandini Inmula, a career services worker at UCLA, said increased unionization across other types of workers at the UC inspired the student services workers to form their own union. Hybrid work in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic also changed perceptions of appropriate work-life balances for the workers, she said.

“There’s still so many of us, including me, that struggle to make ends meet, pay for the high cost of living in different places in California across all of our different campuses and have opportunities for professional growth,” Inmula said. “This is a movement and a campaign that is really long overdue.”

The union will represent workers who work in the financial aid, disability services and academic achievement counseling offices across the UC, according to its website. The workers also plan to host social and professional development events.

The workers also alleged that wage increases for non-union staff have been significantly lower than for represented workers, which is a contributing reason for the formation of the union.

“As Student Services and Advising Professionals, we make essential contributions to UC’s educational mission and student experiences,” said Cassie Isaacson, an undergraduate advisor at UC Santa Cruz, in a press release announcing the union’s formation.

Although the workers forming the union are currently represented by their campus staff assemblies, the assemblies are not able to form binding contracts with the university, Inmula added. Mike McCormack, the president-elect of the UCLA Staff Assembly, did not respond in time to requests for comment on the new union’s formation.

“It’s not leading to any type of equal footing in terms of coming to the bargaining table,” Inmula said. “There’s no type of contract that you can enforce through the types of conversations that you have with more of an informal conversation at the staff assembly level.”

Inmula, who was previously a graduate student at UCLA, also said the workers decided to join UAW because they believe the union has a strong existing track record with bargaining with the university. UAW Local 4811 went on strike at UCLA in 2022 and May 2024.

In an emailed statement, UC Office of the President spokesperson Heather Hansen said the University already works with unions representing over 137,000 employees. She added that the University respects and appreciates the work student services and advising workers do.

“The University values our employees’ right to organize, and we respect that there is a majority of support among student services and advising professionals who are currently not represented by a union to pursue the organization of a bargaining unit to represent them,” Hansen said in the statement.

Inmula said staff hope to be able to negotiate fairly in the future, adding that she hopes the University quickly recognizes the new union.

“The UC really prides itself, I think, on its exceptional educational mission and exceptional success and performance, and that really is due in large part to the work of staff – of me and my peers,” she said. “What we’re basically asking for at this point is for that contribution to be recognized in an equitable way and to have an equal footing at the table in terms of the future of our work.”