On October 29, 2025, we reached an agreement with WCM that includes an Emergency Support Fund (ESF) whereby WCM would contribute $50,000 per year to address severe financial hardships faced by Postdoctoral Employees. Despite the urgency with which Postdoctoral Employees have called for relief, the WCM administration has delayed establishing the ESF application process, more than eight months after we ratified our first contract.
The Emergency Support Fund is for Postdoctoral Employees. The ESF represents the beginning of a hard-fought, mutual recognition of the importance of addressing inequities related to childcare, housing, and other stressors that drive the loss of talented researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. NYC has the highest cost-of-living among all cities in the United States, with over 40% of households in our income range considered to be rent-burdened. A majority of us live paycheck-to-paycheck to make ends meet and are unable to establish long-term savings.
WCM wants to limit who and what situations are eligible for the fund. Even though WCM will review each application individually, WCM is insisting that before the fund starts being administered, the Union agrees to a restrictive, but exhaustive list of what is and isn’t eligible for funding. It is impossible for either the WCM administration or the Union to foresee what types of unexpected situations will arise. In addition, the WCM administration wants to limit access to the fund for certain Postdoctoral Employees, like married couples and Postdoctoral Employees toward the end of their appointments.
WCM cares more about their administrative burden than supporting Postdoctoral Employees. WCM does not want to commit to deadlines or perform the administrative tasks it would take to make sure Postdoctoral Employees are getting what they need. Emergencies inherently require immediate action. WCM is resisting agreeing to deadlines during the review process and committing to administrative processes that would allow Postdoctoral Employees to receive the full amount of money they are requesting. This would mean delayed payments and less support for Postdoctoral Employees when they need it the most.
We deserve an Emergency Support Fund that is inclusive, accessible, and timely. It is important that we show WCM that we stand firm and united against any attempts to weaken the contract that we fought so hard to secure. Click here to sign-on to an open letter to the Dean and tell WCM that we deserve a fair ESF now.
Signed,
WCMPU Organizing Committee