Towards the end of last week, we met with WCM for a short session to provide a comprehensive package counter proposal to try to make more progress before our upcoming strike deadline. We expect a response to this proposal at our 43rd session tomorrow at 12pm.
Last week, we made significant movement towards WCM in order to make it as clear as possible where they need to meet us in order to reach a fair agreement and avert a strike. This included the following moves, many of which consisted of agreeing to WCM’s position on major priorities:
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We agreed to a minimum of 30-day notice of layoff. While this is an unreasonably short amount of time for the majority of us who are on visas, after consulting with organizers, we made the difficult decision to accept this timeline in order to try to reach an agreement. This only makes preventing layoffs where appropriate funding does exist (see below) an even bigger priority for us.
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We agreed that WCM shall consider our qualifications as researchers when determining the order of layoffs.
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We agreed to maintain the status quo on relocation assistance.
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We also moved towards WCM by reducing the effective date of our Compensation proposal from July 1, 2025, to 90 days of back pay (retroactive salary increases) to address how long negotiations have taken. This matches the retroactive pay that Mount Sinai agreed to with their postdocs.
This leaves just a few remaining issues that are the biggest priorities to reach agreement on before our strike deadline. Those issues include:
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Ensuring a fair process for layoffs—specifically, protections against unnecessary layoffs where appropriate funding exists. Our proposed trigger for layoffs is standard among unionized postdocs across the country, but WCM has so far insisted on being able to lay off postdocs for any reason.
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Reasonable back pay to compensate postdocs for avoidable delays caused by WCM in the bargaining process and recognition of the nearly two years since we voted to form our union.
We were encouraged by WCM’s positive response to our counter, and that they expressed the belief that with the movement we made, we would be able to reach an agreement before our strike deadline on Thursday, October 30. We were extremely clear with WCM that our movement was intended to allow them to make reciprocal movement on our core priorities of protections against layoffs for any reason besides loss of appropriate funding, and back pay.
Picket Shifts: While we hope to avoid striking, we will continue preparing for a strike to begin on Thursday, October 30, if these priorities are not met. If you have not done so yet, please sign up for picket shifts! To receive strike pay, you must sign up for at least 20 hours per week on the picket line.
Strike Hardship Fund: We have also launched a Strike Hardship Fund to supplement UAW strike pay if striking becomes necessary to ensure that Postdocs can maintain a strong picket line and help Postdocs who experience emergency hardship as a result of lost pay. The fund will become live after we begin striking—to get a head start, please share the form widely to collect pledges of support.
Bargaining Session: And please make sure to join us for our next Bargaining Session on Wednesday (10/29) at 12 PM! It will take all of us, working together, to secure the protections and pay we deserve.
Finally, you may have received an email from the WCM administration yesterday in relation to our strike deadline. If you have any questions or concerns after reading the email, please don’t hesitate to reply directly to this email, email organizing@wcmpostdocunion.org, or refer to this FAQ.
In solidarity,
Luca Posa, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
On behalf of the WCMPU-UAW Bargaining Committee
P.S. – WCM Postdoc Jazib Uddin spoke at mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s “New York is Not For Sale” rally on Monday night – and Zohran has committed to support us on the picket line! Check out a clip from Jazib’s speech here and the full version starting at minute 14:00:00 here.