Thank you for joining us at our Rally for Equity last Wednesday!
RSVP for our next bargaining session on March 17th, 12:00 – 4:00 PM!
Last Thursday, hundreds of WCM postdocs and fellow unionized academic workers from across the city held a rally outside 1300 York Avenue calling on the WCM administration to reach a fair contract now. Almost a full year after we started bargaining for our first contract, WCM has continued to reject basic rights, protections, and benefits that are urgently needed for making the school more equitable, inclusive, and competitive, especially in the current political climate.
During the rally, which took place during lunch, we heard from rank-and-file organizers and elected Bargaining Committee members about why postdocs need a fair and equitable contract as quickly as possible.
Chelsea Crooks emphasized the importance of maintaining a diverse workforce with strong provisions against discrimination.
“Academia should be a place that welcomes and supports parents and families of all kinds rather than making it impossible to balance families and careers. By agreeing to a fair contract, Weill Cornell can live up to its stated founding principle of ‘opportunity and access’ and show that they actually believe that ‘diversity is a driver of excellence’.” -Chelsea Crooks, Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Pediatrics
Cecilia Lira shared the challenges faced by international postdocs, including the financial burden of visa renewals and the unfairness of probation policies that allow discrimination to thrive.
“We have uprooted our lives, left our families, our support networks, and in many cases, made significant personal sacrifices to pursue science at WCM. My husband quit his job, many of you have children and I can only imagine how hard this transition has been for them… With attacks on immigrants increasing under the Trump administration, the last thing we need is an additional layer of precarity placed on our shoulders.” -Cecilia Lira, Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Krithika Karthigeyan addressed the critical need for transparency in WCM’s housing process, pushing for a 2% cap on rent increases, and underscored the importance of maintaining the Roosevelt Island shuttle service to prevent additional financial strain on postdocs.
“The Dean mentioned in his state of WCM address that he values transparency and that WCM strives to provide the best in-class working environment for its employees. I think it’s time WCM proves that, because they’ve been falling really short of their mission when it comes to postdocs.” -Krithika Karthigeyan, Bargaining Committee Member
Caitlin Williams stressed the lack of childcare support, advocating for dedicated benefits to help postdoc parents.
“Postdocs need comprehensive childcare supplements to help us make ends meet so that we can continue to make WCM one of the top research institutes in the country.” -Caitlin Williams, Bargaining Committee Member
We were also joined by unionized postdocs from other academic institutions, including Rockefeller, Mount Sinai, and Columbia. Elza Rechtman, a researcher at Sinai, shared how SPOC-UAW secured a strong contract with significant salary increases, benefits, and protections after voting to authorize a strike.
“We hope the Weill Cornell administration learns from Sinai’s experience: we postdocs love our work and would prefer not to strike – but don’t put us to the test.” -Elza Rechtman, Sinai Postdoc and UAW Local 4100 Representative
At the end of the rally, participants were asked whether they would support calling for a strike authorization vote if WCM does not make sufficient movement in our next bargaining session on March 17th. The response from the crowd conveyed clearly the frustration postdocs feel with the lack of progress by the WCM administration.
“If you support a strike authorization vote, raise your hand and say AYE!” -Julien Jarroux, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brain & Mind Research Institute
Especially with all the attacks on science right now, supporting scientists is essential. Our solidarity is our strength. Keep supporting each other, keep talking to the postdocs and others around you about this fight. RSVP to join as an observer in our next bargaining session on March 17th and see the proposals that WCM administration has after seeing our discontent.
Stand Up for Science (SUFS), including UAW academic workers across the country, is officially supporting rallies in Washington, D.C. and 31 other cities around the country on Friday, May 7th. Click here to join colleagues for the SUFS rally TOMORROW (Friday 3/7) at 12:00 PM in Washington Square Park, to show our collective support for scientific research and education and protest against Trump’s administration’s science policies. Let’s stand together and make our voices heard!
In solidarity,
Juan Rodriguez
Postdoctoral Associate, Pediatrics
WCMPU-UAW Organizing Committee