Join us for our next membership meeting on August 1st at 6:30pm! You can attend in person at Columbia or Mount Sinai or attend virtually. RSVP here.
Part of our agenda, shared below, will be to discuss a new logo for the Local. Please email us if you have any ideas or would like to work with us on this project.
Financial Report
Upcoming Events
Farewell to former Local 4100 President Cora Bergantinos-Crespo
Local 4100 Needs a New Logo!
Update from bargaining with UAW Staff United (USU)
Join us for our union’s first-ever contract campaign retreat, bringing together postdoctoral workers from across New York City and the surrounding area! The retreat will be held on August 10th at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute. Whether you’re already actively involved in union organizing or interested in becoming more involved in building our union, you are welcome to join.
The retreat will consist of hands-on workshop sessions covering different phases of a typical contract campaign that build toward winning a strong contract. In each session, we will discuss successful strategies and tools from past campaigns and brainstorm new approaches. Come work to build a movement together with us.
In Solidarity,
Columbia Postdoctoral Workers, UAW 4100 Joint Council
July 1st marked the beginning of the second year of our three-year contract (2023-2026) with Columbia University! Here are a few updates on what may be available to you through our contract, plus other news:
Your 3% annual salary increase should be coming up.
Are you a Fellow that is eligible for the $3,500 lump sum?
Have unexpected expenses? Apply for the Hardship Fund!
Election results.
Join your union to help build a better workplace and be part of a national movement.
Salary Increase
In this second year, everyone should receive a 3% increase in their salary. The date on which this increase is applied will depend on your appointment date.
For many Postdoc Research Scientists and Associate Research Scientists, the re-appointment date is July 1st. These workers should see the increase reflected in their next paycheck on July 15th. The change should appear on PAC as of July 13th.
For Postdoc Research Fellows whose appointment date is also July 1st, 2024, the raise should have been applied to July 1st’s paycheck.
For all other workers with an appointment date different from July 1st, the raise will be applied on their respective appointment dates, effective July 1st.
If you believe you should receive a raise and do not see it, please reach out to your HR or department administrator. If you need additional assistance from the union, send an email to the central account at postdocunion@uaw41000.org.
Fellowship Lump Sum
As part of our contract, workers who have accepted a fellowship may qualify for a $3,500 lump sum if they have acquired the appropriate vesting period to qualify for retirement benefits as per Columbia guidelines. It’s up to the worker to reach out to their department administrator or HR to request the lump sum. Here are the requirements to qualify:
You are eligible if you are a benefits-eligible Officer of the University and have accumulated a two-year (24 months) vesting period in an eligible title (e.g. Postdoctoral Research Scientist/Scholar). Time spent at Columbia under the title Postdoctoral Research Fellow does not count toward the vesting period for retirement benefits.
You have been in the title of Fellow for a minimum period of 12 months. The fund should be available to you at the end of each 12-month period under the fellowship. If you qualify and have been a Fellow for the past 12 months, you should request the lump sum. If you have not completed 12 months under the fellowship yet, you will be able to access the lump sum at the end of the 12 months, and then every 12 months after that.
Hardship Fund
Have you experienced an unexpected medical emergency, or other unanticipated expenses causing financial hardship (e.g., emergency childcare, loss of housing, death of family member including funeral and travel costs, extraordinary relocation costs, loss of family income, or natural disaster)? The Hardship Fund application period for this quarter is now open. This is available to all Postdoc Research Scientists/Fellows and Associate Researcher Scientists/Scholars covered by our union. Check out the application process and all relevant information at this link. The application will close on July 15th, 2024.
Make sure to read all the FAQs before applying.
Provide comprehensive information to ensure a faster reviewing process and response to applicants.
Non-medical expenses will be taxed, so you will only receive a portion of the money you have requested a refund for.
Election Results
The nomination period has concluded, and we are ready to announce our new Unit Recording Secretary for the Mt Sinai Joint Council 2 for our local.
As all positions were unopposed, we can announce the following winner by acclamation:
Mount Sinai – Joint Council 1 – Unit Recording Secretary: Anthony Lozano.
Join the Slack channel for members
Slack is the best way for members to stay up to date with everything union-related, and to connect with your peers, stewards, executive board, and joint council. Slack provides a space to create community, with many channels dedicated to social activities, info for parents, housing, and our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership (IDEAL) working group. Join by filling out this form and become an active part of our vibrant community today!
Join the team
If you want to get involved and help build a stronger Union pushing for change at Columbia and academia at large, you can contact us here.
Additionally, some positions on the executive board, joint council, and among the stewards are currently available. We will launch a new election timeline in the next few weeks. These roles offer great opportunities to enhance your leadership skills, collaborate within a team, and support your fellow postdocs and ARSs in building a strong union and improving working conditions in academia for all postdoctoral workers. If you would like to learn more about each available position, reach out to postdocunion@uaw41000.org.
In Solidarity, Columbia Postdoctoral Workers, UAW 4100 Joint Council
The HARDSHIP SUPPORT FUND APPLICATION is now LIVE. Are you experiencing financial hardship due to an unexpected medical emergency or other unanticipated expense? Apply for reimbursement through the Hardship Support Fund by July 15 at the link here.
Make sure your application is accurate and complete to ensure quick decisions can be made by the Hardship Support Fund Review Committee, which includes 2 union representatives, 1 OPA representative and 1 Columbia administrator. Approved funds will be disbursed in August. For further details please see the webpage here.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
This is a reminder that the deadline to accept nominations for a position as steward, Joint Council, or Executive Board member is next Monday, 06/24 at 11:59PM EST.
If you are accepting nomination for the vacant steward, Joint Council, or Executive Board positions, please submit your acceptance to 4100 Elections Committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com by June 24th at 11:59pm EST (before midnight). The open positions are:
Join fellow Local 4100 members at the 6th Annual Queer Liberation March!
We will meet on Sunday June 30, 2024 at 11:00 am at Sheridan Square and march to Battery Park. RSVP to join us here.
The Queer Liberation March is organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition (RPC), a grassroots collective that has organized the march in New York City every June since 2019. They seek to honor and reclaim the spirit of the Stonewall Riots, centering and amplifying the voices and needs of marginalized LGBTQIA2S+ communities. You can consider donating and learning more here.
Support UAW Region 9A-endorsed candidates for Election Day!
Join UAW Region 9A and Local 4100 members at a rally this Saturday, June 22, in St. Mary’s Park, for Jamaal Bowman for Congress with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders. RSVP here if you can make it!
UAW Region 9A has also endorsed Eli Northrup, a public defender and former UAW member, and Claire Valdez, a current UAW member and Unit Chair of UAW Local 2110, in their races for State Assembly. RSVP here to join Claire’s final canvass before the election this Sunday in Long Island City; and sign up here to volunteer in the Upper West Side on Election Day (Tuesday, June 25) to canvass for Eli’s campaign and help at poll sites.
As mentioned in our previous membership meeting, we are announcing the opening of elections for Local 4100 executive board positions, Joint Council positions, and steward positions, including positions across both units (Columbia and Mount Sinai). Please see below for the open positions and guidelines. You can send your nomination and candidate statement to the following address: cpwuawelections@gmail.com
Please do not hesitate to contact us (cpwuawelections@gmail.com) with any questions regarding this election. We hope you will be interested in running for one of the open positions.
In solidarity,
UAW Local 4100 Elections Committee
Nominations are hereby declared open on June 10th, 2024 for the UAW Local 4100 Stewards (5 positions), Joint Council (3 positions) and Executive Board (1 positions).
The following positions are open (see below for a detailed description of roles):
The following steward districts are open (Columbia Only):
The following Joint Council Position is open (Mt Sinai Only):
Mt Sinai Joint Council 2 – Unit Recording Secretary
The following Joint Council Position are open (Columbia Only):
Columbia Joint Council 2 – Unit Recording Secretary
Columbia Joint Council 4 – Head Steward
The following Local 4100 Executive Board positions are open (Columbia or Mt. Sinai):
Trustee
All unit members having signed a Local 4100 membership card and meeting the eligibility criteria, as outlined in Article 15 of the UAW Local 4100 bylaws, are automatically considered nominees for positions on the Executive Board and as stewards in their respective districts. In accordance with the bylaws, eligibility requirements for candidates are as follows: candidates for the Executive Board must have maintained continuous good standing for a period of one (1) year preceding the acceptance of nomination, while candidates for the steward position must have maintained continuous good standing for a period of ninety (90) days prior to accepting nomination. As a new unit, these requirements are waived for candidates from Mount Sinai. Some positions are unit specific – listed positions above labeled as “Columbia” or “Mount Sinai” are restricted to members of that unit.
Membership Eligibility Description (per the bylaws):
Membership in this Local Union shall be extended to all employees who have at any time been under titles that come under the jurisdiction of this Local Union. Membership shall be defined as members in good standing as defined in the International Constitution.
Local 4100 has 29 steward positions, broken up into districts (22 at Columbia and 7 at Mt. Sinai), a Joint Council with proportional representation from each unit (6 members total; 4 from Columbia and 2 from Mt. Sinai), and an Executive Board across the whole local. For this election there are 12 open steward positions, 6 open Joint Council positions and 5 open executive board positions. Each district is a campus, building/s, or lab where postdoctoral academic workers are working. For every 75 workers in a district, one steward will be elected. To learn more about the responsibilities of the stewards, visit the UAW constitution (Article 45) and our Local Bylaws (Article 10).
Any eligible member in good standing who wishes to accept the nomination for one of the Executive board or steward positions in their district must indicate their intention, in writing, including the position they wish to run for. You can only run for one position. The acceptance of your nomination in writing must be submitted no later than June 24th, 2024 11:59 EST. Submit your acceptance to the Local 4100 UAW Elections committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com. If you have questions about which district you belong to, please reach out to the Elections committee at cpwuawelections@gmail.com.
Each candidate may write and submit a candidate statement of no more than 250 words. These statements will be posted on the Local 4100 UAW website if there are contested elections. Your mailing address, phone number, and personal email address must be included, but will not be counted toward the 250 words.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to submit the candidate statement, if they choose to have one. All candidate statements must be received by the time nominations close on June 24th, 2024 11:59 EST.
Candidates Meeting
Following the close of nominations, all candidates in contested districts will meet with the Elections Committee via Zoom. This meeting will determine the order of names on the ballot and the method of mass communications, and address other concerns any candidate may have. This meeting will take place following the close of nominations, but before ballots are sent to members.
Election Dates, Times and Locations
In the event that the number of eligible candidates who accept nomination for the specified position do not exceed the number of vacant positions, such candidates will be deemed elected by acclamation and no election will be held.
If there are contested positions, elections will take place online from May 6th-13th. If you are a member of the union, you will receive a ballot in your email and text messages once voting begins. If you wish to participate, you will need to sign a membership card for Columbia Postdoctoral Workers or the Sinai Postdoctoral Organizing Committee.
Election Location: Online
Election Start Date: Monday, July 8th at 9:00 am EST
Election End Date: Monday, July 15th at 11:50 pm EST
A runoff election, if necessary, will be held at a future date. The details will be announced if necessary.
The following are descriptions of the open roles:
Steward: Leads organizing in their District for collective actions and contract enforcement handling for District workers.
Head Steward: Oversees Unit Stewards and represents their Unit on the Joint Council.
Unit Recording Secretary: Maintains records for their Unit, in addition to the responsibilities of Head Steward.
Trustee: Supervise funds and property, audit or cause to semiannually audit by a CPA, make sure Financial Officers follow the rules, see that funds are deposited in the bank appropriately.
This email is a reminder that we have a Special Membership meeting this Thursday – please follow the link above to RSVP to one of the physical or virtual attendance! As a reminder, as a membership meeting, this meeting covers both units (Columbia and Mt. Sinai).
The agenda for this meeting is as follows:
Voting on a bylaws amendment proposed by a member (more information below);
Opening elections for open Trustee, Steward and Head Steward positions at both units;
Reviewing our Finance Report; and
Discussing ongoing bargaining with the union of staff organizers;
Upcoming events & socials
All members have the right to propose an amendment to the bylaws, that is then voted on by membership at a membership meeting. All bylaws votes require a ⅔ majority vote to pass. We recently had a member proposal, which reads as follows: “The Union can issue a statement boycotting or condemning a nation or group, other than in support of the collective bargaining process, only with the approval of the majority of its members, as distinct from a majority of those voting”. At our upcoming membership meeting we will briefly discuss and then vote on this proposal.
UAW Region 9A has endorsed Eli Northrup, a public defender and former UAW member, in the race for State Assembly in district 69, which includes Columbia campus. Our Local Union is organizing a canvassing event on Sunday, June 9th, from 1-4pm, to help spread the word about his campaign. RSVP here to join us.
In solidarity,
Local 4100 Executive Board and Organizing Committees
As part of our union contract, we have formed a Working Group with the University to discuss issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The union side of the working group is requesting information from all members on priorities for this group!
Please fill out this very quick (1 question) survey by Friday, May 24th. You can also add information in the comment portion to elaborate on your answers and/or add additional topics. The responses from this survey will inform the working groups ongoing conversations with the Columbia administration.
This year is an election year in the USA, and as researchers we have many topics we care about that relate to electoral politics. In collaboration with the Union of Concerned Scientists, we are co-hosting a 1-hour training focused on voter registration, mobilization, and countering disinformation, as well as offering resources for staying informed about elections. International workers are also welcome and encouraged to participate! Food will be provided.
After the training, join us on June 9th for a canvassing event in support of a local Assembly candidate, Eli Northrup, endorsed by UAW, and gain hands-on experience in local campaigns.
In solidarity,
Local 4100 Executive Board and Organizing Committee
As part of our union contract, we have formed a Diversity Working Group with the University to discuss issues for our Postdocs and Associate Research Scientists/Scholars related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Based on past surveys and conversations with co-workers, we have identified a series of issues that are currently present at Columbia and in academia more broadly. The Working Group would like to hear from all members about the most urgent issues to tackle.
For example, some postdocs may receive lower pay based on their ethnic or racial background, or immigration status, while accessibility remains a significant issue for some, and others are pushed out of academia by a lack of adequate mentorship. The postdoc years, bridging the gap between graduate school and a faculty position, also pose one of the greatest challenges for women and underrepresented minorities.
Please fill out this very quick survey (1 question) by Friday, May 17th to help prioritize these issues. Feel free to use the comment portion of the survey to elaborate on your answer or to discuss a topic that is not listed but is a priority for you. Responses from this survey will help inform our discussion with the Columbia administration about members’ priorities. Through this Working Group and many of our other ongoing efforts, we look forward to making Columbia a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive place to work.
We’re hiring! After winning historic contracts at Columbia and Mount Sinai this fall, we’re now seeking a full-time staff organizer to support our leaders and help protect our members rights! If you are interested or know someone who is, please apply or share the posting.
It has been a distressing few weeks for the Columbia community, especially at the Morningside campus. Since last week, Tuesday April 30th, our members have been unilaterally locked out of their lab and office spaces at Morningside campus – with hours notice and unclear communication. Some workers have regained access since Friday May 3rd, but many still lack access. These harsh impositions have forced postdocs to scramble to perform their work, especially as police and media outlets have descended on campus. To address this labor issue we need to act together.
If you have work duties necessitating access to your lab or office space, and have had your access denied at any time, or are still denied access and cannot do your work, please fill out this Google Form. In addition, the excessive screening and presence of public safety officers and NYPD officers can be intimidating. If you experience any situation that results in a hostile work environment or intimidating atmosphere, please reach out to the central account.
Now is a good time to connect with other postdocs or workers to talk about the importance of our labor rights. In line with this, the graduate student union (SWC) is organizing a rally every day from 1-2PM at West 116 and Amsterdam Ave. A group of postdocs have already committed to attending the rallies; RSVP here to join our group.
We join this rally not just to stand in solidarity with the SWC graduate and undergraduate students who have been arrested or who have had their free speech infringed upon – by standing up at this rally we are standing up for our own right to speak freely and for our own rights as workers; an attack on the rights of any of us is an attack on the rights of all of us.
These are unusual and unpredictable times, but as a collective we can protect one another from labor rights violations and stand up for the workplace and environment we deserve.
🥳Reminder: Social with postdocs/ARSs from across NYC!!!🥳
>> 05/03/2024: UAW Local 4100 social for NYC postdoctoral workers! Join us for a social, bringing together postdoctoral workers from across New York City. Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/Gs9BN3EAPZARVmxC8
The nomination period has concluded, and we are ready to announce our new Executive Board, Joint Council, and Stewards for our Local!
The deadline to accept steward nominations closed last Monday, April 22nd at 11:59 PM EST. As all positions were unopposed, we can announce the following winners of their districts by acclamation:
SPOC Stewards
District 1: Sindhu Vangeti
District 2: Clauvis Yengo
District 3: David O’Connor
District 4: Newaz Ahmed
District 5: Maria A. Carrera
District 6: Haoyuan Li
District 7-1: Tanya Nauvel
District 7-2: Shane O’Connell
CPW Stewards
MS2: Alexa Nicolas
The deadline to accept the open executive board nominations also closed last Monday, April 22nd at 11:59 PM EST. As all positions were unopposed, we can announce the following winners of their positions by acclamation:
President: Andrea Joseph
Recording Secretary: Natalia Ferressini
Trustee: Elza Rechtman
Guide: Andrew Little
Columbia Member at Large: Elsy El Khoury
Mount Sinai Member at Large: Paola Bianchimano
The deadline to accept Joint Council nominations also closed last Monday, April 22nd at 11:59 PM EST. As all positions were unopposed, we can announce the following winners of their positions by acclamation:
Mount Sinai – Joint Council 1 – Unit Chair: María Ruiz Ortega
Columbia Joint Council 1 – Unit Chair: Sherida de Leeuw
Columbia Joint Council 3 – Head Steward: Stefano Cataldi
