Union Building In Unlikely Places: Why Biotech Lab Workers in Chicago Chose IAM Union

This article was featured in the Winter 2025-2026 IAM Journal and was written by IAM Communications Representative Angela Colaizzi.

Longtime IAM Midwest Territory International Representatives Chris Tucker and Geny Ulloa have experienced almost every kind of union organizing campaign. No matter the industry, there's a typical process for building a union. But when it comes to Tempus Unio, the campaign was one-of-a-kind from the very start.

"They interviewed us," said Tucker. "They were interviewing unions and we were one of the candidates that they were looking at to form their union."

That was a first for Tucker. The then-350 lab workers at Tempus, an AI-enabled precision medicine company in Chicago, were seeking stronger safety standards, a better life-work balance, more competitive pay and benefits compared to industry colleagues, and equity and transparency from their employer. They knew they wanted a union, but were committed to finding the one that fit them and their very special work.

"They are at the forefront of technology, using AI to study diseased cells to improve cancer care. Yet, they believe that their work should not come at the expense of their rights and wellbeing," said IAM Midwest Territory Coordinator William "Bill" LePinske. "Their union will set a new standard for what workers can expect and demand in the biotech industry."

Many of the lab workers at Tempus AI hold advanced degrees. They work in one of the country's leading cancer research laboratories utilizing artificial intelligence, and they did their research on the union applicants.

"We landed on the Machinists because they had experience with tech, they had experience with healthcare, and the reps I talked to were very responsive," said Anson Poe, a Tempus AI lab worker.

Tucker emphasized the importance of responding quickly and being transparent in the first step of the campaign "They chose the IAM because we were the most responsive," said Tucker. "When they reached out to us, we got back to them right away, and then if we didn't know an answer to one of their questions, we'd say so, we would find an answer, and get back to them with it, then we didn't hound them. We gave them the information and waited for them to come back to us."

After deciding on IAM Union, the group entered into the education stage of the campaign, and it wasn't just about informing workers about their rights and what to expect in the process of filing for representation, it was a mutual learning experience for the organizers and the workers.

Tucker and Ulloa learned that research laboratory workers are expected to work long hours and dedicate their lives to their work while being underpaid, undervalued, and ignored when they volunteered solutions to ongoing workplace issues.

"I've never worked at a place where I get along so well with my coworkers," said Poe. "I just saw management never listening to their good ideas, and I wanted to make them listen."

"They needed our help," said Tucker. "They know their field and workplace, and we know how to build a union. We came together, and they made this union their own."

The organizing committee worked to inform their colleagues about the union effort, going back and forth between Tucker and Ulloa and their fellow lab workers, and bringing others to virtual informational meetings.

"The committee was very resilient for two years," said Tucker. "We met every other week in virtual meetings for two years, and we did not miss a meeting for years. The committee was very dedicated, ran a full-scale outreach campaign, and started their own communications."

The first year of the campaign was focused on building the core team, establishing a base of supporters, and getting the right information out to anyone on the fence.

The soon-to-be union members wanted an identity of their own. They created their own name: Tempus Unio, fittingly in Latin since scientific names are Latin, and their own logo: a fist framed by a DNA sequence circle, perfectly symbolic of their mission and the work they are so passionate about.

"They educated themselves. The company came to find that these workers weren't scared at all," said Tucker. "They knew their rights, they knew what the company could and couldn't do, and they weren't afraid of the typical union-busting antics that companies do. They even set up a table at lunchtime that said 'come ask me about our union'."

The second year of the campaign focused on getting enough authorization cards signed to hold a union election and keeping spirits up.

"Even if they did feel like somebody was scared, the others would lift them up and say 'Don't worry about it. We got your back. We'll be there with you,'" said Tucker. "There was such solidarity at an early stage and having not ever been in a union."

Tempus Unio made history as one of the first unions in the biotech industry when they voted for IAM representation in March 2024. The bargaining unit had grown to 443 lab workers when they officially chartered the IAM Midwest Territory's first healthcare unit, Local H1.

"What this group means to us is they have put us in a position where we are ready to take on any sector, any demographic of workers: young workers, nontraditional workplaces and emerging industries," said Ulloa, who is the Midwest Territory Organizing Lead. "So, that means a lot. Not only the fact that we were able to be successful, but it was something new to us and we were able to adapt."

The next goal was achieving a first contract, and that's when IAM Midwest Territory Coordinator Bill LePinske entered the scene as lead negotiator for the momentous bargaining.

"We spent a lot of time in preparation," said LePinske. "Everything was very well thought out.

I applaud the committee's work away from the bargaining table and their level of dedication to the process. On both sides of the table, it wasn't about winning or losing, it was about solving problems."

Just over a year after their union election was certified, their first contract went into effect on April 24, 2025, establishing a landmark in the evolution of labor relations within the biotech industry.

The first contract addresses the group's core issues regarding work-life balance, competitive pay and benefits, safety, and transparency.

It includes guaranteed wage increases ranging from 10% to 12.5% over three years with the ability to add merit. There are retroactive wage increases starting from Feb. 24, 2025, and wage protection language requiring the employer to increase wages if a new employee comes in 5% over the contractual minimum.

The contract also ensures guaranteed annual company stock issues and establishes a safety committee, grievance procedure, arbitration process, and improved paid time off rules.

Tucker stuck with the group all the way through negotiations and up to ratification. He was involved from start to finish, from the very first interview with Poe to chartering the first healthcare local in the Territory.

"We got a first contract in only eight bargaining sessions," said Tucker. "I really want to tip my hat to this bargaining committee. They were incredibly dedicated to this cause. They spent a lot of their own time and made an extraordinary effort to create terms that don't just benefit themselves, but benefit the whole group. They took everybody into account."

"Securing the first contract without any sort of issues has sent a strong message throughout the labor movement and America saying we are ready," said Ulloa. "We are ready to take on any challenge that is put in front of us."

The new local union's formal name is "Next Generation Local H1," a name that carries meaning with the group as pioneers in biotech research and in labor organizing.

"The name is symbolic of their young energy coming into the space," said LePinske. "It signifies that they're going to do things in a bit of a different way, a more modern way. It's a reflection of the work they do, because the process they use sequencing the patients' DNA is known as 'Next Generation Sequencing' or NGS, and also signifies what they were trying to accomplish with their local union."

"This contract and this local will set a standard for any others to come," said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli. "We are in this industry now, and these trail-blazing new members have put in some impressive work to successfully build their own local union with a strong first contract through solidarity with each other. This entire campaign, from interest in organizing with the IAM to their first, ratified collective bargaining agreement, is a win for our entire union and all workers in an emerging industry."