Today the Postdoc unit kicked off bargaining with UW admin in a joint bargaining session with our Research Staff (RS) colleagues. Postdocs showed up to deliver the initial bargaining demands that were ratified by nearly 300 Postdocs.
We jointly proposed three articles today focusing on protections for marginalized workers: anti-discrimination and harassment, health and safety, and reasonable accommodations. In return, UW administration proposed to remove Anti-Discrimination protections in both contracts for the following categories:
- Ethnic origin
- Medical conditions\
- Political affiliation
You read that right: while Postdocs and Research Staff proposed to strengthen protections against harassment and discrimination, UW admin wants to slash them. Trevor Thompson, lead negotiator for Postdocs from UW management, said explicitly that this is “not something we’re happy to do, but we believe this is something that the university has to do. … There is potential for language in the contract to be language that the federal administration might not like.” That’s what happens when you protect all workers’ rights!
When we asked Trevor how striking these protections are not eroding civil rights, he answered: “ehhh…” We all know what happened to institutions like Columbia that bent the knee to the federal government – they got screwed over anyway. UW seems to be forgetting that.
There is only one answer to attacks like these: stand up, fight back. RSVP now to the June 25 rally for a fair contract for Postdocs and Research Staff!
Remember, when we fight, we win! If you would like to get more involved, send an email to pd-bargaining-team@uaw4121.org and an organizer will follow up with you.
Finally, you can find updates on bargaining in the bargaining portal, as well as by following UAW Local 4121 on Instagram and Bluesky.
In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team
Jacob Sacks, Computer Science and Engineering
Cassandra Henderson, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Winston Dredge, Genome Sciences
Mateo Lopez Espejo, Psychology
Haruki Hirasawa, Atmospheric and Climate Science