Columbia postdoctoral researchers make up the Columbia Postdoctoral Workers union. Now that CPW-UAW has been recognized, we have been engaging in the process of negotiating a contract with Columbia by:

  • Electing a bargaining committee from among Columbia researchers.
  • Based on surveys, the committee has developed initial bargaining proposals; before bargaining commenced, we, postdocs and Associate Research Scientists voted to ratify these goals;
  • The committee has been meeting with university representatives to negotiate in pursuit of our bargaining goals;
  • When our committee has negotiated a tentative agreement with the University they feel they can recommend, researchers will vote whether to ratify it as our first contract;
  • The bargaining committee will be aided throughout by experienced negotiators and our regional UAW representatives;
  • After the contract is ratified, the membership will elect representatives who help run the Union and help members with any problems they have in the workplace