We are student workers forming a union in order to improve our research and working conditions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Our work as researchers and teachers not only drives the academic mission at WPI, but also produces scientific knowledge that can benefit the greater community. While we work across many specializations, our dedication to our work unites us all. By forming a student worker union, we can build a stronger, more democratic voice for us at WPI, with more power to negotiate for improvements and to secure our rights and conditions into a legally-binding contract. Forming a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in particular means joining tens of thousands of student workers and other higher education employees who are already part of the UAW--this includes student workers and other academic workers at Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, University of California, and University of Washington. By working together with these and other academic unions across the country, we can also build political power beyond WPI to impact funding policies at the national, state, and local levels that shape our experience in Academia.