What is SPSE-UPTE?

SPSE-UPTE is a labor union consisting of University of California employees at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We are Local 11 of the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), Communications Workers of America (CWA Local 9119), AFL-CIO. UPTE also represents over 11,000 UC employees at all UC campuses, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. CWA has more than 700,000 members worldwide. Membership in SPSE-UPTE is open to any UC employee at LLNL who is not already represented by another union.

SPSE-UPTE is managed by an Executive Board consisting of five officers and six board members who meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month. All of the officers and board members are LLNL employees. Our goal is to achieve collective bargaining at LLNL. Collective bargaining would greatly increase our effectiveness and allow for improvements in terms and conditions of employment. Advocating for employee rights requires constant effort by SPSE-UPTE. We have successfully influenced Lab and UC policies in the past. Since 1973 we have stood up to Laboratory and UC management, and to the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that employees were treated with respect and fairness.

2007 SPSE-UPTE Officers, left to right Joe Perea Secretary,

Jim Wolford President, Jeff Colvin UPTE Representative,

Anne Lipska-Quinn Treasurer, and Sue Byars President-elect.

To get more information on SPSE-UPTE see our Timeline.

Joe Perea, Quality Control Inspector, SPSE Secretary

"The biggest concern I have about the transition is that we as UC/LLNL employees will lose our employee protection rights that we currently have under HEERA. Only by collective bargaining can we all insure that the employee protection rights we now enjoy, will be maintained."