This past Monday marked our 4th bargaining session with Columbia, where our bargaining committee presented economic proposals at the table. In total, we introduced 8 articles centered around priorities raised through hundreds of conversations with colleagues over the past several years that aim to raise our overall standard of living while making Columbia a more inclusive and competitive institution.

The full text of each article is available on our public bargaining tracker, and you can find the articles summarized below:

Compensation: We proposed a new minimum salary of $90,000 for Postdocs and $115,000 for ARS, with an increase to anniversary raises to account for inflation and cost of living.

Housing: We proposed memorializing the existing housing benefit in our contract, including improvements such as expanding access to ARS, a more transparent application process, and monthly housing subsidies.

Childcare: We proposed memorializing the existing Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) benefit parents receive, increasing the FSA amount to the federal limit, extending the age limit to the federal age cap of 13 years old, and memorializing the back-up dependent care program.

Hardship Support Fund: Currently a side letter in our contract, we proposed making it an article and expanding the fund from $500,000 to $2 million while also increasing the maximum disbursement amount to $10,000.

Immigration Support Fund: We introduced a side letter establishing a $1 million fund to assist international workers facing immigration-related challenges, including legal representation, immigration filing and application fees.

Parking and Transportation: We proposed maintaining Columbia’s shuttle bus services at least at current levels at no cost to employees, and memorializing the Transit/Parking Reimbursement Program (T/PRP) program while expanding eligibility to Postdoctoral Fellows.

Leaves of Absence: We proposed 15 paid sick days and unused sick day accrual year to year, and increasing parental leave to 16 weeks at full pay.

Relocation Assistance: Currently a side letter in our contract, we are proposing to make this an article and to raise the amount from $1,500 to $2,000 to better account for the cost of relocation to NYC.

Columbia’s team did not directly engage with the substance of the proposals or ask questions at the session. Instead, the University stated that they need additional internal discussions before responding. We believe our proposals represent fair compensation for the critical role that we play in research at Columbia.

Next, Columbia presented a revised counterproposal on the Non-Discrimination article to address some concerns previously raised by our committee, particularly around interim protective measures. The counter did not respond to our core concerns, however, about timeliness of addressing cases of discrimination and harassment. Additional edits included language related to anti-bullying initiatives, reporting mechanisms through HR, and clarifications regarding confidentiality within the Title IX process.

Lastly, we were able to reach a Tentative Agreement (TA) on Copyright and Intellectual Property, and we are close to a TA on Grievance and Arbitration.

It will take work for us to win meaningful improvements, but it is possible if we all stay informed and engaged. Help continue demonstrating the urgency of reaching a fair contract that ensures secure and equitable jobs for all workers to Columbia by signing and sharing our Job Security petition, joining our Day of Action next Wednesday, May 20th, and joining us at the bargaining table on Thursday, May 21st.

As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with any thoughts or questions,

Solidarity,

Natalia Gutierrez-Bayona, Center for Radiological Research
CPW-UAW 4100 Bargaining Committee