We matched WCM’s deadline with our own strike deadline for October 30!

by | Oct 17, 2025 | Updates

Postdoc organizers met outside 1300 York for a mass meeting yesterday

Yesterday, postdoc leaders from across campus came to our mass meeting and voiced strong support for starting an unfair labor practice strike on Thursday, October 30, 2025. After a strong supermajority strike authorization vote in April 2025, and demonstrating the urgency of a fair contract through rallies, practice pickets, petitions, and testimonials, it has become clear in recent bargaining sessions that setting a strike deadline is the only path left to win a fair contract in a timely manner. While we strongly favor reaching an agreement by the end of the month, we are prepared to strike if necessary to address WCM’s unlawful behavior and win a contract that addresses our core priorities as soon as possible.

We started bargaining with Weill Cornell in April 2024, and it is now almost the end of 2025. Throughout more than a year of negotiations, the Weill Cornell administration has stalled and undermined the bargaining process. They tried to take advantage of attacks on science to insist for months on an unnecessary and unprecedented Force Majeure article, and they tried to illegally circumvent the bargaining process by making proposals directly to unit members via email. We have filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge on this issue. Weill Cornell now has two options: either they rectify their unlawful behavior and bargain intensively in good faith so we can reach a fair agreement before Thursday, October 30th, or we strike.

A strike deadline on Thursday, October 30th gives WCM sufficient time to reach a fair agreement. It also responds to the October 29 deadline WCM included in their most recent offer, and makes clear that we expect greater progress before the end of the month. We know the value of our labor, and we are prepared to withhold it in order to ensure that WCM bargains in good faith so we can reach a fair agreement.

Here are some ways we can be prepared to strike if necessary on Thursday, October 30th:

Stay informed with what’s happening at the bargaining table :

  • We have one final in-person bargaining session prior to the strike deadline on October 29th @ 12 pm. Attending this session is important and encouraged to help our bargaining committee push WCM to agree to a fair contract!

  • We also have a short Zoom session on Tuesday, October 21 @ 3:30 pm. We expect to receive WCM’s counter to our most recent proposal at this session. More information about attending will be available shortly.

  • Be on the lookout for communication from organizers about attending the session on the 29th and updates about WCM’s proposal after the 21st.

Be prepared & get connected:

  • Make a plan with your lab and PI for managing critical priorities during your absence.

  • Connect with your coworkers and strike captains to make a plan for your lab, floor, and department. To get more involved in organizing for mass participation, reach out to organizing@wcmpostdocunion.org, and an organizer will be in touch with you.

  • Organizers will be in touch soon about how to sign up to be on the picket lines. In order to qualify for strike benefits, you must participate in the equivalent of 20 hours of strike duty per week (e.g., five 4-hour shifts on the picket line or other activity that supports the strike).

Additional Resources: Strike FAQ and Bargaining Information

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts,

In solidarity,


The WCMPU-UAW Bargaining Committee:

Krithika Karthigeyan, Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatrics
Dagan Marx, Postdoctoral Associate in Biochemistry & Biophysics
Luca Posa, Postdoctoral Associate in Biochemistry & Biophysics
Caitlin Williams, Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatrics