On Tuesday, March 25th, we met with Einstein to continue negotiations for our first contract. In this session, we discussed their counters on Research Integrity, Job Posting, and Workspace and Materials. While we think that these discussions were helpful, Einstein continues to raise novel concerns and introduce new limitations on proposals we have been negotiating for months. This approach to bargaining is impeding our progress toward a fair contract since it undermines trust in Einstein’s commitment to providing the protections and benefits we are advocating for on behalf of all Postdoctoral Fellows.
When we pressed Einstein on their continued efforts to exclude Research Integrity from the Grievance and Arbitration procedure, they simply urged us “to trust the institution.”
We also received counterproposals from Einstein on the following proposals:
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Grievance and Arbitration: Einstein finally agreed to our proposal of having a panel of arbitrators rather than selecting one for each arbitration case. This is an important aspect of ensuring a timely resolution of workplace issues through a neutral third party.
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Professional Development: Einstein is pushing to make Individual Development Plans (IDPs) mandatory, claiming this “aligns with the NIH’s commitment to supporting postdoctoral career development.” However, they are simultaneously proposing to use these IDPs as formal evaluation tools for reappointment, discipline, and dismissal decisions. We explained to Einstein that this contradictory approach raises serious concerns about how these development tools could be repurposed for punitive measures rather than genuine professional growth.
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Training: Despite our previous near-agreement on most provisions (agreement in black text), Einstein presented a completely rewritten article that seemed intended to discard the bargaining progress we made over the past 6 months on this article, and regressed on provisions they had previously accepted. Despite this frustrating setback, we remain committed to fighting for fair training provisions that support postdoc welfare.
In addition, Einstein unexpectedly presented a proposal on Compensation. Our current priority is securing fundamental rights already established in other union contracts that would incur no financial cost for Einstein. We believe it’s important to address these foundational issues before engaging in detailed compensation discussions.
Einstein has committed to 6 bargaining session dates in April, May, and June, starting with our 16th Bargaining session on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM ET. Click here to RSVP if you’d like to attend this or a future session and see the process firsthand!
We will also hold a town hall on Thursday, April 03, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET in Price Center Room 451 to update you on recent developments and answer all your questions. Please click here to RSVP.
You can access the full text of these proposals using our online bargaining tracker.
As always, we encourage you to reach out with any questions, concerns, or feedback by simply replying to this email.
In Solidarity,
Rohan Misra
Postdoctoral Fellow, Genetics
ERU-UAW Bargaining Committee