Postdoc observers gathered before the start of the bargaining session yesterday
Yesterday we held our 34th bargaining session with the WCM administration. After WCM’s campus-wide email about the status of bargaining on Tuesday, we hoped to see the administration offer meaningful movement on job stability, including withdrawing their demand for a Force Majeure clause and agreeing to fair layoff protections with sufficient notice time.
Unfortunately, WCM failed to do so. Not only did they maintain Force Majeure, which they stated they would use in order to be able to reduce the higher salaries we’ve already agreed upon, but also they maintained aspects of their Layoff provision that would allow them to engage in layoffs even when appropriate funding exists for that position with just 30 days of notice, which is not sufficient for our majority international unit to avoid being forced to leave the country.
A postdoc observer at the session said the following:
“With Force Majeure, WCM could force us to work the same amount for lower or no pay while still charging for our rents, and while childcare costs and the general cost of living only go up. Many of us already secured our own funding by winning fellowships, young investigator awards, and project grants, de facto contributing to the relief of the significant economic challenges currently imposed upon higher education institutions, including WCM.
Laying us off or reducing our salaries or benefits without a clear contingency plan would likely cause us to miss the milestones outlined in our research proposals and result in turn in more cancelled funding and in the further aggravation of the already challenging economic conditions for WCM.
We’ve already been fighting the cuts to higher education through our parent union, the UAW. It is now time that we are treated with more respect from WCM, starting with them dropping Force Majeure and providing us more – rather than fewer – protections in the event of a lack of funding, to reflect the value we bring to the excellent Cornell research and to the wider WCM community.”
— Federico La Manna, Postdoctoral Associate in Medicine
We have had hundreds of conversations with postdocs across WCM and we know these proposals are unacceptable to members of our community. We will continue fighting back against any contract where WCM can go back and reduce the benefits and salaries we’ve spent over 16 months fighting so hard for, or lay us off for any reason and without adequate notice.
It’s time to show WCM that enough is enough. Sign up to join our Picket to Protect Science next week (Wed Aug 6 12pm-1pm outside 1300 York). We’ll come together to demonstrate the widespread support that exists for a fair and equitable contract and inform the broader community about our contract fight.
We are working to schedule several more in person bargaining sessions with WCM in August, and expressed a desire to meet with a smaller group from WCM more frequently to keep the process moving.
As always, if you have thoughts or questions please reach out to organizing@wcmpostdocunion.org.
In solidarity,
Krithika Karthigeyan
Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatrics
On behalf of the WCMPU-UAW Bargaining Committee