WE ARE ACADEMIC WORKERS OF NEVADA-UAW (AWN-UAW)
Academic Workers of Nevada-UAW (AWN-UAW) are Graduate Assistants (GAs) and Postdoctoral Scholars (Postdocs) at UNR, UNLV, and the Desert Research Institute working together to form a union to improve our work conditions. We make critical contributions to teaching and research at NSHE, but we lack secure rights and protections in the workplace as well as secure contracts. In addition, many of us struggle to afford housing, childcare and other basic expenses.
By joining together to form a union, we will gain more rights and a more powerful voice in the institution and in policymaking at the local, state, and federal level. We look forward to joining over 125,000 other unionized academic workers who have negotiated legally-binding contracts that make institutions of higher education more equitable and sustainable.
UAW REGION 6 ENDORSED CANDIDATES
Below are the UAW-endorsed candidates running for office in Nevada this November!
Statewide Offices
Governor – Aaron Ford
Lieutenant Governor – Sandra Jauregui
Attorney General – Nicole Cannizzaro
Secretary of State – Cisco Aguilar
State Treasurer – Tya Mathis-Coleman
Board of Regents
Regent District 10 – Peter Reed
Regent District 5 – Mo Denis
Congress
CD 1 – Dina Titus
CD 2 – Teresa Benitez-Thompson
CD 3 – Susie Lee
CD 4 – Steven Horsford
Nevada State Senate
SD 2 – Edgar Flores
SD 8 – Marilyn Dondero Loop
SD 9: Melanie Scheible
SD 10 – Fabian Donate
SD 12 – Julie Pazina
SD 13 – Skip Daly
SD 20 – Calvin Sandoval
SD 21 – James Ohrenshall
Municipal Offices
North Las Vegas Mayor – Daniele Monroe-Moreno
City of Reno Mayor – Kate Marshall
Nevada State Assembly
AD 1 – Alexis Esparza
AD 2 – Kamilah Bywaters
AD 3 – Selena Torres-Fossett
AD 4 – Eileen Eady
AD 5 – Brittney Miller
AD 6 – Jovan Jackson
AD 7 – Cameron Miller
AD 8 – Duy Nguyen
AD 9 – Ryan Hampton
AD 10 – Venise Karris
AD 11 – Cinthia Moore
AD 12 – Max Carter
AD 14 – Erica Mosca
AD 15 – Miguel Davila
AD 16 – Cecilia González
AD 17 – Linda Hunt
AD 18 – Venicia Considine
AD 20 – David Orentlicher
AD 21 – Elaine Marzola
AD 22 – Shenea Booth
AD 24 – Erica Roth
AD 25 – Selena La Rue Hatch
AD 27 – Heather Goulding
AD 28 – Reuben D’Silva
AD 29 – Alex Pereszlenyi
AD 30 – Natha Anderson
AD 34 – Hanadi Nadeem
AD 35 – Joe Spica
AD 37 – Shea Backus
AD 41 – Vinny Spotleson
AD 42 – Tracy Brown-May
Our Stories
“We need a union to ensure fair compensation, transparent policies, job security, and a stronger voice in institutional decisions. Postdocs drive research, mentor students, and contribute significantly to the university’s success. We deserve clear protections and equitable treatment. A union is not about conflict, it’s about fairness, stability, and building a stronger research community together.”
“Postdocs need a union because it is the only way for us to ensure that our voices are heard and our needs met, long-term, regardless of turnover in administration or changes in relationships. We ALL deserve job security, support, and pay that reflects our contributions. We may each only be in our current positions for a few years, but I believe we should try to leave our institutions better than we found them and improve things for those who come after us. We are stronger together.”
“A union would fundamentally change my experience as an international postdoc at UNR by giving all of us a collective, protected voice to negotiate for fair wages that reflect the cost of living, and institutional support for visa and immigration processes. I want to have a workplace where postdocs have clear career development pathways, mental health support, protection from exploitation, and equitable treatment regardless of national origin — not because a PI or department chooses to offer these things, but because they are contractually guaranteed. A union would make that possible.”