We want to share an important update regarding our efforts to form our union, Einstein Researchers United-UAW. Two weeks ago, we notified Einstein that over 80% of postdocs had signed up in support of forming a union. On Monday, we received their statement of position on our union in which they responded to our proposed terms for a fair union election.
In their position statement, the administration has indicated that they will agree to a union election for most postdocs at Einstein. This is a major victory, and a testament to the strong support postdocs have shown throughout this process.
Einstein has also taken several stances on our petition that would exclude a number of postdocs from our union, including that Postdoctoral Fellows-NRSA – who are funded by an NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) grants – are not employees and should be excluded, despite the fact that NRSA fellows are included in every other postdoc union in the country. The administration has also argued that some postdoctoral fellows are supervisors and therefore should be excluded, without providing any evidence for that claim. We firmly disagree with Einstein’s efforts to exclude our colleagues and will continue fighting to ensure that all postdoctoral fellows can vote in our election.
While it is disappointing that the administration is taking actions that seek to divide us and undermine our efforts, we have also seen recent signs of our power and the progress we are making.
One major sign of this progress was Einstein’s recent announcement of new increases to salary minimums for postdocs, sent by email this past Friday. These raises were announced four days after we filed for our union election with support from more than 80% of Einstein postdocs, and are also a result of the broader movement by postdocs here in New York City and across the country to improve working conditions through unionization.
While these raises are a good start, there is much more we can do. These new minimum rates are also below what unionized postdocs have won at other New York City institutions like Mount Sinai and Columbia. Once we have formed our union, we will have the legal right to negotiate as equals with the Einstein administration for salaries that keep pace with the cost of living in New York City, as well as the many other challenges we face while working as postdocs.
We hope to reach a final agreement with Einstein soon on a fair and expedient election, so that we can move onwards to bargaining in a timely manner. To get more involved in efforts to form our union, click here.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions,
Best,
Juliane Grimm
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Cell Biology
Member of ERU-UAW Organizing Committee