Strike Vote FAQs

This is a vote that authorizes our bargaining committee to call a strike if circumstances warrant. A ⅔ majority of those voting is required for this to occur. It is a standard process within the union to ensure that this step is taken with full participation and approval from the bargaining unit before we consider calling a strike.

A strike authorization vote is used to authorize the bargaining committee to call a strike in the unfortunate circumstance that Einstein refuses to bargain fairly. This vote requires a ⅔ approval rate from union members in order to pass. The vote is conducted via digital secret ballot distributed to all postdocs who have signed an authorization card or filled out a union bargaining survey. ERU-UAW organizers will be able to see whether you have voted, but not how you have voted. Einstein will not have access to information about who has voted.

You should receive a ballot on Monday, October 5th or shortly after signing an authorization card or filling out a bargaining survey during the voting period. Search your inbox for the words “Strike Authorization Vote” OR reach out to us for the link by emailing elections@einsteinpostdocunion.org.

On September 21, 2026 our Bargaining Committee announced a strike authorization vote. This followed the delivery of a letter signed by 50 postdocs from across Einstein, voicing strong support for this move in the event that Einstein continued to dismiss our priorities. If a majority votes yes in this vote, we will give our bargaining committee the power to call a strike if they consider it necessary to reach a fair agreement.

Striking is a last resort. A work stoppage would be disruptive, but striking is also the strongest tool we have to secure a fair contract, and we are preparing now so that if it is necessary, we are ready. We hope that Einstein will make greater progress toward a fair agreement, but until we see such progress, we will continue to make preparations to strike should it be needed.

Our union was certified in May 2024, but over two years later we are still fighting to reach a first contract that provides fair and equitable support for postdocs at Einstein. Throughout negotiations we have made many efforts to demonstrate the urgency of reaching a fair agreement in a timely manner.

We have demonstrated majority support for our demands by completing bargaining surveys, overwhelmingly ratifying our bargaining goals, and signing open letters urging Einstein to bargain intensively and agree to our core priorities. We have attended bargaining sessions, held town halls, voiced concerns with community members, rallied on campus, shared our stories on social media and in the press, and joined with researchers across NYC in a day of action for fair working conditions.

While we have made progress in a number of important areas since we started bargaining in September 2024, Einstein has so far failed to reach a fair agreement in a timely manner, and continues to resist agreeing to stronger protections in areas like bullying and abusive conduct, grievance and arbitration, and health and safety, as well as improved support for housing, childcare, compensation, insurance, and retirement. 

Striking is a last resort. A work stoppage would be disruptive, but striking is also the strongest tool we have to secure a fair contract, and we are preparing now so that if it is necessary, we are ready. We hope that Einstein will make greater progress toward a fair agreement, but until we see such progress, we will continue to make preparations to strike should it be needed.

Once we have voted to authorize a strike, that is a determination we will make together.

A strike is a complete work stoppage. During a strike, Postdocs would not perform our work duties and instead would participate in picket lines to increase the visibility of the strike. It would last as long as necessary or until we decide collectively to cease striking.

Postdocs are critical to the functioning of labs across Einstein. When we withhold our labor, Einstein will be forced to make much greater efforts to bargain in good faith and reach a fair agreement or cease to function as a top tier research institution. The more of us who participate, the more collective power we will have.

When we demonstrate publicly that we are withholding our labor through picket lines and pressure from community and political allies, it will also increase pressure on Einstein to respond to our demands.

Yes.

As with all other union action, our solidarity and willingness to be public is our best protection: there is strength in numbers. We’ll work to support each other and work with our elected leadership and other representatives to navigate legal or other challenges as they arise.

Retaliation for organizing and striking is illegal. Additionally, as with all other union action, our solidarity and willingness to be public is our best protection. In other words: they’d have to take on all of us in order to take on one of us.

International researchers have the same rights under labor law to participate in union activities, including striking, as domestic workers do. Thousands of international postdocs at the University of California, the University of Washington, and most recently Mount Sinai took strike votes and ultimately went on strike to win strong contracts.

Einstein has the right to not pay us while we are on strike and not working. In the event of a strike, Postdocs who complete strike duties will be eligible for $550 per week of strike pay from the UAW strike fund. 

If Einstein decides to withhold health benefits during a strike, Postdocs would have our medical benefits paid through the UAW Strike and Defense Fund. 

As workers represented by UAW, Einstein has access to UAW’s Strike and Defense Fund after losing pay for participating in a sanctioned strike. Strike benefits are $550 per week in strike pay, along with medical benefits in the event that Einstein withholds healthcare benefits.

Yes. You would be eligible to receive strike pay ($550 per week) from the UAW Strike and Defense fund to mitigate lost wages.

Yes. Postdocs perform critical work every day and a strike would be highly visible showing the solidarity of postdocs and other community members who pledge to honor our picket line. A strike will attract media attention and political support for our right to fair working conditions. Members of other unions can support us in a variety of ways. The combination of stopping research, media coverage, and political pressure generated by a strike would absolutely impact Einstein.

While participating in a strike would require all of us to make sacrifices, this action also gives Postdocs the collective power to ensure that Einstein reaches a fair agreement with us. A contract that provides vital improvements to our pay, benefits, and workplace rights would also make Einstein more equitable, inclusive, and competitive with other major research institutions, and this will in turn improve research at Einstein. 

It’s ultimately Einstein’s responsibility to make sure that any basic lab maintenance happens during a strike. There are also ways that you can prepare for a potential strike. These plans could include advance-planning your experiments or informing supervisors that they may need to make alternative plans to take care of these subjects.