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On Monday, October 27th, we had our 29th bargaining session with the Einstein administration.
Einstein presented their International Postdoctoral Fellow Rights counterproposal. After we had stressed in previous sessions repeatedly how important this article is especially in the current political climate that is exceptionally hostile to international researchers they moved towards us by agreeing to:
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Reimburse costs for additional health insurance that might be necessary in the first month of employment
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Hold positions open if immigration status temporarily prevents employment of the postdoc
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Allow remote work in cases where the postdoc’s return to the United States is delayed due to immigration issues
However, they are still rejecting key demands of postdocs including longer initial visa durations and reimbursement for visa-related costs (e.g. administrative/consulate fees, travel expenses, accommodations) – a provision that is standard in all the other contracts for unionized postdocs at institutions in New York City.
Einstein also presented their Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation counterproposal. Unfortunately, once again, Einstein’s position shows a lack of commitment to meaningful protection for postdocs by striking all language related to the prohibition of bullying, being unwilling to agree on a comprehensive list of protected categories, and not establishing immediate supportive measures for affected postdocs that would file a grievance. We’ll keep fighting to solidify protection from discrimination, harassment, any abusive conduct, including bullying, and retaliation, as well as an enforceable process for resolution with immediate supportive measures for the affected postdoc.
Other articles covered in the session were:
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Einstein’s counterproposal on Intellectual Property: After waiting almost 6 months for Einstein’s proposal we were disappointed to see that they have hardly moved on their position which fails to commit to enforceable rights to authorship and intellectual property that are in line with academic norms.
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Our counterproposal for the Health and Safety article: Last session, Einstein’s Associate Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety, Jared Shapiro, joined bargaining to clarify Einstein’s concerns with this article. We were responsive to those concerns, and moved towards Einstein where it was possible to do so while still ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for postdocs.
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We presented counters for Einstein’s proposed changes to the Einstein’s Postdoctoral Fellow Mistreatment Policy and Einstein’s Einstein-Associated Start-Up Companies and Related Conflicts of Interest Policy.
Our next in-person session is scheduled for Wednesday, November 12, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM ET. Click here to RSVP if you’d like to attend this or a future session and see the process firsthand!
As always, we encourage you to reach out with any questions, concerns, or feedback by simply replying to this email.
In Solidarity,
Federica Zanotti
ERU-UAW Bargaining Committee