June 27: CPW-UAW participate in the Queer Liberation March
On June 27th, we joined fellow UAW union members from, ACT-UAW Local 7902 (NYU adjuncts and New School part-time faculty, student workers, and health service employees), BAM union (Brooklyn Academy of Music ) and UAW Local 2120 at the Queer Liberation March!
December 28: Election of our Union Stewards.
Our stewards elections period ended with 18 stewards elected from 23 open positions. Stewards are Postdocs or ARSs colleagues that will discuss and help with any concerns or questions you may have, whether specific to your workplace, funding, benefits, or more general thoughts about the current moment. With the ratification of our first union contract, we now have a process to help you advocate for yourself by enforcing workplace protections. Whenever you have questions or doubts arise, do not hesitate to reach out to your steward.
November 2: Approval of our Local Bylaws. Click here to read.
Bylaws are an important governing structure of union locals. They address things like the structure and frequency of membership meetings, the number of stewards, how officers and stewards are elected and can be recalled, how future bargaining committees are structured and elected, and how members can amend bylaws in the future. On our October membership meeting we discussed a final draft for our Local bylaws written by Postdocs and ARS volunteering as our bylaws committee. They based the draft on bylaws from other Academic union locals and feedback by CPW members discussed at meetings and send online over a period of 10 days. The online vote on whether to approve the bylaws concluded with 100% of those participating voting yes to ratify our bylaws.
September 12: Election of our first Executive Board
On August 31 the nomination period for our CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board opened up for every member in good standing. The nomination period closed on September 12, 2020 at 5:00 P.M. At the close of the nomination period, the number of candidates did not exceed the number of positions. Therefore, the candidates were elected by acclamation to their respective positions. According to the UAW Constitution Executive Board members are elected for three years. Click the tittle to meet our CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board and other officers of our Local Union.
August 14: We elect our first Elections Committee
Consistent with the UAW Constitution, Local Union officer elections must be administered by a democratically-elected elections committee formed by Postdocs and ARSs members of our Union Local. At the close of the nominations period on August 14, 2020, 5pm, the number of members accepting nomination did not exceed the number of positions therefore winning by acclamation. Click the tittle to meet our CPW-UAW Local 4100 Elections Committee and other officers of our Local Union.
August 2: Picnic to celebrate winning our first contract
Our contract was hard fought and hard won. Our Bargaining committee pushed for the priorities established by a majority of Postdocs and ARSs during 16-month of negotiations, while our Organizing Committee along with hundreds of Postdocs and ARSs applied pressure away from the table – including published op-ed articles, petitions, delegations, phone calls to the Provost, support from New York City and New York State politicians, and most importantly one-to-one organizing leading to an Open Letter to the President and Board of Trustees calling for a Strike Authorization Vote if Columbia did not make real progress. This combined action was critical to our bargaining’s eventual success and our first contract, the first for Postdocs in a NYC institution and the first in a private university in the US. We held a picnic in Riverside Park to celebrate our success and moving into the next phase of building our Local Union: CPW-UAW Local 4100.
July 16: Postdocs and Associate Researchers have approved our tentative agreement
The vote on whether to ratify our tentative agreement with Columbia concluded with 99% of those participating voting yes to ratify our contract. Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote. After years of organizing and 16 months of bargaining, this vote is a strong mandate for researchers to continue improving our working conditions and the research conditions at Columbia. Click the title for a day to day report of our Bargaining Sessions.
June 30: We reached a tentative agreement. Click for details
Our Bargaining Committee have reached a tentative agreement! After 16 months of bargaining and years of organizing we have won important improvements to our rights and working conditions. Please join us for a town hall Wed, 7/1 at 6:00pm.
June 24: Strike Authorization Vote Open Letter
More than 200 Postdoctoral and Associate Researchers who come from departments comprising 90% of our workforce sign a letter indicating that if the administration continues to dismiss our core priorities, we will insist that our Bargaining Committee proceed toward a strike authorization vote
June 8: Postdocs and Associate Researchers want stronger protections against harassment and discrimination. Click to listen why!
Columbia can and must do better. Postdoc and Associate Researchers need a fair contract with stronger protections against discrimination, harassment and bullying.
May 27: Postdocs and Associate Researchers have been volunteering during the COVID-19 crisis. Click to listen why we deserve a fair contract!
Many Postdocs and Associate Researchers have been volunteering during the COVID-19 crisis. We are integral to Columbia University in the City of New York’s research mission and deserve a fair contract now.
April 27: CPW-UAW joins other Academic Union across the country asking Congress to protect Researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to send your letter
Across the country, UAW Academic Workers – from Columbia, to the University of Washington, to the University of California – came together to make our voices heard in Congress about the support we need to keep our universities and research thriving in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are sending hundreds of letters to our congressional representatives to ask them to provide crucial resources to research related agencies and institutions.
April 21: Letter to NY and US Representatives supporting additional funding and resources to solve the COVID-19 crisis. Click to Read the Letter
Our elected bargaining committee sent a letter to NY and US Representatives asking for additional funding and resources to support Postdoctoral and Associate Research Scientists in their crucial role to solve the COVID-19 crisis.
March 27: Outreach to Elected Representatives. Click to Read the Letter
In an ongoing effort to bargain a fair first contract by April 6th 2020, we asked to Representatives Meng, Nadler, Espaillat, Ocasio-Cortez, and Lowey to support our efforts to secure a fair agreement.
March 26: Our Bargaining Committee sent a letter to the Administration regarding the COVID-19 crisis.
Our elected bargaining committee sent a letter to the administration on the management of the research program at Columbia during the COVID-19 crisis. Our bargaining committee made requests to mitigate the impact on Postdoctoral and Associate Research Scientists.
March 20: Town hall to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting researchers.
With the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak only becoming more critical, we converted our online town hall into a space to discuss how the crisis is affecting researchers, bargaining and what we can do as a union to support each other and the broader community. Postdocs and Associte Researchers continue filling out our survey in regards to how COVID19 is affecting us and our research so our elected bargaining committee can have a better understanding of how researchers are being impacted.
March 13: Our bargaining committee sent a to the Columbia Board of Trustees for a fair contract by the April 6th deadline.
On Friday March 13th, 2020 our elected bargaining committee sent this letter to the Columbia Board of Trustees to communicate our willingness to continue to bargain a fair agreement, either in person or virtually, before the April 6th deadline.
January 17: CPW-UAW and GWC-UAW members met with Congresswoman Grace Meng
A delegation of researchers from our union and GWC-UAW Local 2110 Graduate Workers of Columbia, met with US Representative Grace Meng to explain our bargaining goals. Congresswoman Meng sits on the House Appropriations Committee that oversees the federal budget funding most of the research at Columbia.
January 16: CPW members delivered an open letter calling on Columbia to raise our salaries. Click to read the letter
Columbia’s lagging compensation practices undermine quality research. We delivered a letter from researchers spanning the entire Columbia community to Provost Katznelson and Dean Goldman urging the administration to do better.
October 6: CPW members participate at the annual Velocity Ride for Cancer Research
Postdocs and Associate Research Scientists joined other Columbia community members at the annual Velocity Ride. We are excited to be negotiating improvements to our working conditions so that we can produce better cancer research. Better Working Conditions = Better Research!