May 2019: CPW-UAW and GWC-UAW delivered a letter to the President’s Office signed by a majority of Postdocs, Associate Researchers and Graduate Workers for stronger protections against sexual and all forms of harassment, bullying and discrimination. Click to read the letter
On May 20th, representatives of both CPW-UAW and GWC-UAW delivered a letter signed by a majority of Postdocs, Associate Researchers and Graduate Workers calling on Columbia to negotiate with us a for union contract that includes stronger and enforceable protections against harassment and discrimination, as this strong demonstration of support by a majority of academic workers at Columbia confirms.
March: Postdoc/ARS working groups help the Bargaining Committee write contract articles that address the issues of researchers at Columbia
Postdocs and Associate Researchers formed several Working Groups: Parents, Compensation, Housing, Healthcare, International Researchers and Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination, to help the Bargaining Committee analyze the feedback given in bargaining surveys filled by a majority of researchers and analyze the standards in other universities and union contracts.
February 25 2019: First Bargaining Session of CPW-UAW with Columbia’s administration. Click to Read Our Bargaining Goals
On February 25th, our Bargaining Committee sat down for the first time with Columbia’s administration and presented our bargaining goals, strongly ratified by 98% of CPW-UAW members. This is an undeniable milestone in our history to negotiate for improved and more secure conditions to do our research.
February 13: We Stand in Solidarity with Nurses at Presbyterian Hospital
Our Bargaining Committee joined Presbyterian Hospital nurses on their picket line as they fought for a fair contract.
December 2018: Columbia requested withdrawal of the request of review of our Union and majority of Postdoctoral Researchers have filled out the Bargaining Survey. Click to fill one!
Columbia, in accordance with the agreement, requested withdrawal of the request for review of our union, which was granted by the National Labor Relations Board on December 4th. Now that a majority of Postdoctoral Researchers have filled out the Union Bargaining Surveys we are getting ready to start Bargaining soon!! The bargaining survey allows everyone to democratically shape what improvements our union bargains for. Having a majority of postdoctoral researchers fill out the bargaining surveys will allow our bargaining committee, to be in the best position to negotiate a strong contract.
November 2018: Columbia offers a pathway to bargaining and CPW and GWC voted in favor. Click to read it.
As a result of all of our hard work over the last few years and GWC’s strike (the Grad Union) Columbia University proposed a framework agreement to recognize and bargain with both Unions. Postdoctoral researcher voted 95% in favor of the agreement which also was approved by the Grad workers. We keep moving towards bargaining no later than February 25th 2018!!
November 2018: CPW-UAW elects the first Bargainng Committee
After holding Town Halls across campuses discussing about the best composition of our Bargaining Committee to ensure we can win a first strong contract, we elected seven of our peers (plus an alternate) to represent us in the bargaining table with Columbia.
October 26, 2018: Columbia tries again to stop our democratic mandate to for a Union. Click to read the letter
Columbia launched another effort to avoid bargaining with our union by filing a “request for review” asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Washington, DC to reverse the recent certification of our union by the regional NLRB in New York City. In the mean time our historic election in the first private university in the country gained national press attention as well as support from elected leaders right here in New York City.
October 10: 18 members of the Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council urge President Lee Bollinger to respect our Union. Click to read the letter
We joined Ben Kallos in delivering a letter signed by 18 members of the Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council to President Lee Bollinger urging the University to respect our 68% mandate for collective bargaining and to bargain with the GWC-UAW Local 2110 Graduate Workers of Columbia.
October 2 and 3: We voted Union YES!! Click to read why.
Leading to the election we hold Town Halls and hundres of conversation across campus and finally on October 2nd and 3rd we voted by an overwhelming 68% (729-yes to 339-no), in favor of Columbia Postdoctoral Workers-UAW as our union.
September 2018: The NLRB set dates for our election on unionization. Click to read the full NLRB decision.
The regional NLRB rejected Columbia’s attempt to deny more than 1,000 of us the ability to vote at all, and further agreed with our proposal for Postdoctoral Research Scientists/Scholars/Fellows and Associate Research Scientists/Scholars to vote on and be represented together in the same union
August 2018: Postdoctoral Researchers Testify to the NLRB. Click to read more.
Two postdoctoral researcher witnesses give testimony about their experiences at Columbia showing the common conditions and nature of our work whether we are classified as Postdoctoral Research Scientists/Scholars, Postdoctoral Research Fellows or Associate Research Scientists/Scholars.
August 2018: Columbia Argues that Postdoctoral Researchers are not employees at the NLRB. Click to read their “proof”.
Columbia attempted to schedule additional hearing time to put on evidence and testimony to support their argument that Postdoctoral Research Scientists (PDRS) and Postdoctoral Research Fellows (PDRF) are not employees and should be denied the right to a union.
August 2018: CPW files for an election with the National Labor Relations Board
After a strong majority of postdoctoral researchers from across Columbia’s numerous campus’s signed up for the union, CPW-UAW filed to have an election with the National Labor Relations Board.
July 2018: CPW BBQ
Often, postdoctoral researchers do not have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other researchers outside their labs or field. CPW-UAW hosted a BBQ to facilitate the cross campus conversation about how having a voice can create more stability in researchers working conditions to facilitate the ability to focus more on science and research.
June 2018 CPW Joins the NYC Pride March
NYC’s Pride march is a celebration of the history of LGBTQ struggles in the U.S. We were excited to have marched with the Graduate Workers of Columbia and so many other organizations from across the city who are continuing the fight to end LGBTQ discrimination.
June 2018
After an overwhelming majority of postdoctoral researchers voted to certify their union at the University of Washington, CPW holds workshops to gather feedback on what issues postdoctoral researchers want to bargain into a fair contract. The organizing committee uses the information from these sessions to develop a bargaining survey to be filled out by postdocs across Columbia. The surveys will generate feedback, concerns and stories that will enable a future elected bargaining committee to negotiate the strongest and most representative contract possible.
April 2018: NYC March for Science
CPW-UAW participated in the NYC March for Science. In 2017 we marched with Columbia graduate workers in the first ever March for Science in Washington, DC, where over 1 million people around around the world who came together to advocate for science and to encourage bi-partisan, evidence-based policy-making. In 2018, we marched in NYC to hold our elected officials accountable for enacting transparent policies rooted in scientific understanding. create better domestic and international policies that are equitable, fair, and empowering to all people.
March 2018: International Women’s Day
By forming a union, we not only can negotiate improvements to postdoc working conditions at Columbia, but can also join together with others to pursue a more just society. In 2018, postdocs joined the New York City march to honor International Women’s Day, a day each year when women and others around the world come together to celebrate the struggles to advance women’s cultural, social and political equality. We marched alongside colleagues from GWC-UAW. One of the many reasons that postdoctoral researchers and graduate workers have formed unions is to negotiate stronger protections against sexual harassment and discrimination at Columbia.
February 2018: Town Halls
With hundreds of postdoctoral researchers signed up for CPW-UAW , postdocs come together for another set of town halls to learn more about academic workers across the United States have benefited from forming unions. Postdocs learn more about the growing wave of postdoc unions across the US, including UAW Local 5810, which represents 7,000 postdocs at the University of California and Lawrence berkeley National Lab, as well as postdoc unions at UMass, UConn Health Center, Rutgers, University of Oregon, and University of Alaska. By this time, the campaign by postdocs at the University of Washington has gained major momentum