Our contract expires August 31, in just 2 weeks, but UW Admin isn’t budging on their pathetic 1% raise proposal. What are our next steps? UW workers are walking out to Red Square, Montlake Triangle, and Harborview on August 31 at 11am to show UW Admin they can’t keep offering UW workers lowball raises. UW works because we do!
The focus of yesterday’s bargaining was on the most important priorities for Postdocs—fair wages and job security, especially for international workers. Our demand for all Postdocs, regardless of funding source, to be paid a livable wage above the WA state overtime threshold, a mere 1/11th of what UW President Jones makes, is what it takes to have world-class researchers at UW.
Historically, since the start of the second Trump Presidency, the UW President has gotten over a 5% annual raise. How can the UW President take those raises and then turn around and tell us there isn’t money for our wages to even keep up with inflation? When UW raises tens of millions for new construction, when UW raises hundreds of millions to expand global research, when there are billions of dollars in unrestricted funds (pg. 13)? UW Admin’s premise that their Postdoc wage proposal of 1% is the only way to deal with federal funding instability is an absolute threat to UW’s future and to our research and teaching missions.
At the table, Postdocs continued to propose a professional development article that lays out real resources for a Postdoc Travel Fund, and supports more Postdocs being allowed to teach classes. For our Immigration article, postdocs reasserted our proposal to expand reimbursements for visa-related costs and protections for postdocs dealing with immigration/visa emergencies. See the proposal tracker for specific language.
The next bargaining sessions for Postdocs are August 24 and 31. Time is running out, but Admin won’t budge without us showing our power.These are our rights, it’s our research, and it’s our future that UW Admin is gambling with. Now Postdocs must speak through our actions. I’ll see you on August 31st!
In Solidarity,
Natalie Wellen
Winston Dredge
Mateo Lopez Espejo
Ryan Friedman
Cassandra Henderson
Haruki Hirasawa
Gourav Khullar
Audrie Langlais-Elliott
Jenna Morris
Jake Sacks
Marsalis Smith