Sign the National Letter to the NIH to strengthen support for postdocs!
The NIH has been considering major changes to postdoc positions, including a 5-year cap on funding and reduced eligibility windows for grants. With the possibility of less support for research from the next presidential administration, postdocs must have a voice in these decisions. Researchers across the country are signing a national letter addressed to the NIH Director demanding that changes prioritize sustainable funding and a stable career path for postdocs, as well as expanding the right to bargain collectively.
The more of us who sign the letter, the more strongly we can urge the NIH to commit to making academic careers more sustainable, equitable, and accessible. By coming together as a broader movement of postdoctoral researchers, we have the power to win the changes necessary to ensure that anyone who wants to conduct research can do so with dignity and under fair working conditions.
20th Session Bargaining Update:
On Monday we met with WCM for our 20th bargaining session. At the session, WCM made a revised proposal on salary, and our bargaining committee proposed a new package of non-economic counter proposals.
Compensation: The session started with WCM proposing an updated counter proposal on Compensation. In their counter they presented a revamped article which clarified some issues we had with their previous proposal, but did not make any changes or increases from their initial offer.
Wellness: In response to concerns we raised at our last session, WCM also provided a new counter proposal on Wellness which we tentatively agreed to. The counter includes that postdocs living in WCM buildings without an onsite gym can access exercise rooms in Lasdon House basement and Olin Hall gym.
Probation Period: More than a year since we voted overwhelmingly to form our union, WCM has continued to insist on a probation period. This would allow the administration to unfairly discipline or terminate a postdoc during the first three months of our employment at WCM.
A probation period would make WCM less inclusive and equitable than other NYC institutions for the majority of us who are international postdocs, when we have have just uprooted our lives and families to move here and work at WCM. Despite their insistence on including this article, WCM has so far failed to provide a single example from the past decade in which our just cause termination procedure would not have been sufficient. WCM’s behavior is especially concerning given the Trump administration’s track record of xenophobic policies, which made life harder and less secure for those of us on visas during his last administration.
Non-Economic Package: In a major effort to reach agreement in this area, our elected bargaining committee proposed a package of five proposals, in which we make significant movement towards an agreement with equivalent rights and protection to what our Sinai postdoc colleagues have in their contract, including no probation period. The package included articles on Discipline & Dismissal, Appointment Security, Probation Period, Terms of Agreement, and Prohibition Against Discrimination and Harassment.
By including, Terms of Agreement, an article that is not in any other postdoc union contract, and agreeing to adopt much of WCM’s status quo language for protected classes in our Non-Discrimination article, our package proposal demonstrates the urgency we feel in reaching a fair agreement that also matches existing standards across unionized postdocs.
Scheduling: We finished the session by discussing bargaining dates. We agreed to meet on January 6th between 12pm-4pm and on January 14th between 12pm-4pm to continue negotiations in the new year. Our next bargaining session is on Monday, December 16, from 12pm-4pm. You can click here to RSVP.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts,
Dagan Marx, Biochemistry
WCMPU-UAW Bargaining Committee