Union Representing University of California Researchers Backs Proposition 38 to Advance Life-Saving Cures

United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 6, representing 60,000 University of California employees, says Prop 38 is a necessary investment in California’s universities

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- UAW Region 6, which represents approximately 60,000 academic and professional employees across the University of California system, has endorsed YES on Proposition 38, the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative. This measure is a necessary response to federal funding uncertainty and cuts that are delaying life-saving medical research and halting progress toward finding cures.

“Prop 38 is a critical step in supporting California scientists, researchers and lab staff with resources they need to advance life-saving cures – especially as D.C. politics are already cutting and delaying vital funding,” said Rafael Jaime, UAW 4811 President.

Prop 38 will provide $8.4 billion to advance immunology research to help prevent and treat cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and other persistent diseases. Immunotherapies harness the body's own immune system to prevent and treat diseases, and they are already successfully treating patients with melanoma, lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. Prop 38 will fund the next generation of this research for other devastating diseases, like Parkinson’s, diabetes, ALS, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.

California is a worldwide leader in biomedical research, and the University of California sits at the center of that work. But federal funding cuts and uncertainty have halted at least 160 active clinical trials nationwide, stalling discoveries at the exact moment medical research has momentum.

Prop 38 gives California a stable, in-state source of support to keep that talent and those jobs here.

“Prop 38 is a critical investment in the people who make life-saving and innovative research possible,” said Julia Falo-Sanjuan, Assistant Project Scientist of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. “It means we can keep California at the forefront of medical discoveries, treatments, and cures.”

Prop 38 represents a new approach to medical research funding, creating a collaborative statewide network. Half the funds will support competitive grants at California universities and nonprofit research institutions, while the other half will support a nonprofit immunology institute affiliated with the University of California that can bring together leading scientists, technology, laboratories, patients and clinical trials. The measure also requires collaboration among grantees so that discoveries, expertise, and best practices can be shared across institutions rather than remaining siloed.

“Our union sees Prop. 38 as a vital complement to the work we did to pass SB 895 (Wiener), which will appear on the March 2028 ballot. Our measure will help California stand up to the politically-motivated attacks on science and fund the basic research that helps find cures for deadly diseases and conditions,” said Hannah Nilsson, Postdoctoral Scholar of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley.

Prop 38 is designed to pay for itself. Ten percent of all proceeds from the licensing of immunotherapies must be returned to California to offset the measure's total costs, including interest. Additionally, any cure or immunotherapy developed will be provided to California patients at a 20 percent discount below the national average. Prop 38 also includes strict accountability requirements, including:
● Two percent cap on state administrative expenses
● Public disclosure of spending
● Independent financial audits
● For-profit corporations are not eligible for grant funding

UAW joins a broad coalition of more than 70 patient advocacy, medical, and research organizations urging Californians to vote YES on Prop 38 in the upcoming election.

Learn more at YESon38.com, including a coalition list and what supporters are saying.

Robin Swanson
YES on Prop 38