Whether by bad luck, career goal mismatch or other, most academic researchers do not achieve the fleetingly rare professorships advertised throughout their careers and are instead resigned to chronic underpayment and overwork. This is an unacceptable status quo as all scientific achievement merits livable pay and working circumstances. I am organizing with RWU to champion and uplift the professionals who run the labs, manage shared resources, perform experiments and make research happen. Unlike finicky merit-based increases, a union is the only structure which will ensure continuous improvements to the compensation and work lives of OHSU’s researchers. It’s inspiring enough to take note of the successful organization and bargaining processes of other OHSU unions like Graduate Researchers United and Local 328. It’s yet more inspiring to note national trends toward unionization across academia and join the wave. To science and solidarity!