Click here to join a postdoc Mass Meeting Thurs 10/16 at 12pm
Click here to join the next bargaining session Tues 10/14 at 1pm
Since March, the WCM administration stalled negotiations by insisting on an unprecedented Force Majeure clause, and rejecting basic provisions for job stability that are standard for other unionized postdocs.
As a result of our collective efforts to advocate to the WCM administration, WCM recently withdrew Force Majeure and set a deadline of October 29 for an updated package proposal. This brings us much closer to reaching a full agreement, and makes participation by postdocs even more important as we strive to secure the last remaining rights and protections that are critically important for us to have in our contract.
You may have received an email from the WCM administration this week about the current status of bargaining. The email suggests that WCM has fully addressed our concerns by withdrawing Force Majeure, despite the fact that this article was unnecessary in the first place and nonexistent in any other postdoc union contract. Moreover, 75% of us recently signed an open letter demanding a timely process for layoffs in cases of loss of funding as an alternative to Force Majeure — a priority which is still not met by WCM’s package.
In order to see first-hand how we are working towards a full agreement, we encourage you to observe the next bargaining session on Tuesday 10/14 between 1pm-5pm. Feel free to join at any point during the session. The more of us who attend, the more clearly we can show WCM that more progress is needed. After the session, there will be a post-bargaining update and Q&A with members of our elected Bargaining Committee at 5:15pm—join if you have thoughts or questions about bargaining!
Click here to RSVP for the 10/14 bargaining session and/or the meet-up afterwards.
We intend to bargain intensively and hope to reach agreements on all outstanding issues by the end of October. To achieve this mutual goal, WCM should make every effort on Tuesday to make progress in the remaining areas that are clear priorities of postdocs. Based on the outcome of Tuesday’s session, we plan to hold a Mass Meeting on Thursday, 10/16 at 12pm outside 1300 York to discuss next steps, including setting a strike deadline if necessary to reach a fair contract.
Please click here if you can attend the Mass Meeting.
Postdocs at WCM have expressed over and over again the importance of reaching a fair agreement that both makes urgent economic improvements, and adequately protects us in the event that future losses of funding make layoffs necessary. The more of us who participate, the more effectively we can work to reach a fair contract in the coming weeks.
Let us know if you have any thoughts or questions,
In solidarity,
Lieke Michielsen, Postdoctoral Associate in BMRI
on behalf of the WCMPU-UAW Organizing Committee