Bargaining Committee Vacancy Election

Our last Membership Meeting of February was 🔥🔥🔥🔥. 

We will have a follow up meeting next week for the ones of us that were not able to attend it  to report updates and further discuss Bargaining topics.

RSVP here for meeting on zoom, next Wednesday 03/08 at noon.

WHAT WAS DISCUSSED 💡🗣️

• Columbia wants to start bargaining in person at the end of April. We discussed the pro vs cons: for example, in person may allow some more efficient communication, but on the other side, limit the ability of members to join the sessions. We want every member to be able to follow the negotiations and will fight for the hybrid mode.
  Contract demands/Bargaining Goals are general goals that we want to win for our next contract. The Bargaining Committee will present these goals to Columbia on the first day of bargaining.

>> Click here to read them all!!

Do you like these demands? Tell us your feedback and add your name in support! 

Feedback period closes this coming Wednesday. 

We will collect signatures from Postdocs/ARSs to show support 

> VOTE AND ADD YOUR SUPPORT HERE!!

To make Columbia hear our contract demands, we need to show them that we are a united front and willing to fight to achieve them. How?

WHAT COMES NEXT AND WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP 🫵🦾

• At the Meeting, we also reviewed the feedback submitted by fellow Postdocs/ARSs. 
• Next step is to write our demands down in contract language [For reference, this is our current contract] with tracked changes!
• This initial language will most likely evolve throughout the negotiations with Columbia. 
• We are expecting big resistance from Columbia over certain demands and we must be ready to decide what we are willing to give up or not during the bargaining. AKA to negotiably negotiate negotiations!! How? Through our Membership meetings, Organizing Committee, Bargaining Committee, Town Halls. Got any suggestions? Let us know!!!

We are organizing Town Halls to discuss the specific language

(specific dates/times will be determined according to interested people)

RSVP here to sign up, follow or help

CONTRACT? BARGAINING? UNION? COMMITTEE? 🤯💥

• If you’re still uncertain on what the topics above mean, we are preparing useful resources to better explain what is going on, what happened in the past and what we are getting ready for. Let us know if you’d like to help. It’s all about you! Your contract, your work. The Union is all of Us.

UNION SOCIALS AND NEXT GATHERING – THIS COMING THURSDAY 6 pm 🍻💫

• Next social gathering is coming up!
  Thursday March 2nd – Social with Mt Sinai Postdocs bargaining their first contract and Postdocs from NYU

Who: Postdoctoral researchers from Columbia, Mount Sinai and NYU

When: Thursday 3/2, at 6pm

Where: The Perfect Pint 123 W 45th St
RSVP here

Also, we’re on Twitter, Instagram, Slack, TikTok, Facebook, etc etc. Follow us and stay updated!!

In solidarity,

CPW-UAW 4100 Bargaining Committee

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and join our and Slack​.

 Th 02/23 AT 6:30pm >> 

RSVP to discuss and vote in the final contract demands

(Every postdoc/ARS at Columbia is welcomed to participate but in order to vote you must be a full union member. You can sign and authorize dues here)

In addition, you can

[Read and submit any feedback to our contract demands]

 [more details on our negotiations]

AT 12:30pm >>

🚨Rally with Mount Sinai Postdocs this THURSDAY, 12:30pm for a Fair Contract! 🚨

 Last year, +500 Postdoctoral Researchers at Mount Sinai voted by an overwhelming 89.5% to form their union, the second for postdocs at a private institution. Postdocs do scientific research that produces life-saving healthcare around the world, and have sustained Mount Sinai’s world-renowned research program throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet, almost eight months since they formed their union, Sinai has continued to stall contract negotiations and reject standard provisions that other unionized workers have, including:

• A timely, enforceable grievance process
• Just cause protections
• Stable, predictable appointment lengths
• Stronger protections against discrimination and abuse
• And many more basic rights

In order to support Sinai postdocs in their fight, please join us at a rally on Thursday, February 23 at 12:30pm at 98th st and Madison Ave, to tell Sinai to Stop Stalling on Basic Rights and make greater efforts to reach a fair contract. Click here to RSVP if you can make it: https://forms.gle/BAaeSQ6YsysdbPQ79

In solidarity,

CPW-UAW 4100 Executive Board

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and join our and Slack​.

Our student colleagues working as Resident Advisers (RAs) on the Residential Life at Columbia University, last May formed the Columbia University Resident Adviser (CURA) Collective to fight for better pay and workplace democracy for all RAs. They have already won salary raises for some RAs (many of them receiving less than $2 per hour) and now they are getting organized into a union!

Join us at their rally today at 4.30pm on Sundial [In front of Low Library, Morningside campus].

COME TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT!!

Academic Organizing Opportunities with UAW 

If you are interested in helping academic workers join the growing wave of organizing with the UAW in the NYC area, please click here to learn about opportunities.  In the last decade, well over 10,000 student workers, non-tenure-track faculty and postdoctoral researchers have organized new unions with the UAW, including Columbia Postdoctoral Worksrs-UAW Local 4100]. The UAW is seeking union members interested in working as temporary part-time or full-time organizers to help continue building this dynamic and growing part of the UAW and NYC labor movement.  

Applications are open to all who have employment eligibility off campus. Strong applicants will be passionate about continuing to improve working conditions for academic workers, able to work well as part of a team, highly focused and detail oriented, and willing to have challenging conversations about the importance of union membership and participation with academic workers from diverse backgrounds. 
If you would like to apply, fill out the interest form and a member of the organizing staff will reach out: https://forms.gle/s7xB5xavAaUvZTMi8

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and join our and Slack​.

The beginning of the negotiations with Columbia for our next contract is approaching!

WHEN WILL WE START? ⏰⏳

• In January we offered Columbia to start the Bargaining Season in March. 
• First they seemed open to giving some extra time to our negotiations, however they just let us know they want to start bargaining in person at the end of April. 
• They didn’t leave much space for a debate. We want every member to be able to follow the negotiations and will fight for the hybrid mode.
  

WHAT ARE OUR CONTRACT DEMANDS? ✊🏿✊🏻✊🏽  

• At our last Membership Meeting in January, with over  60 Postdocs and ARSs, the Bargaining Committee presented the results from the Bargaining Surveys (answered by almost 800 of us! YAY!). 
• The participants came up with a first draft with demands for our contract. We will be voting on these demands at our next Membership Meeting on February 23rd, 6:30pm. Stay tuned for announcements on logistics! 
• Come join your fellow members and vote, vote, vote! You have the power to decide what the Bargaining Committee will negotiate with Columbia in your next Contract.

RSVP to the February meeting to discuss and vote in the final contract demands

(In order to vote you must be a full union member. You can sign and authorize dues here)

In addition, you can

[Read and submit any feedback to our contract demands]

NIH WANTS TO HEAR FROM US 🌎 🧬

• United with other UAW Academic Unions we have a strong voice to advocate at Federal Agencies to improve postdocs/ARSs working conditions. 
• The NIH has formed the ACD working group on re-envisioning NIH-supported postdoctoral training which is seeking input from the scientific community, particularly trainees, early-stage faculty, and others invested in the biomedical workforce, about challenges faced by the postdoctoral trainee community. 

Please consider responding to the NIH’s Information Request.

• This is an important first step towards improving our work experience and rights as postdocs/ARSs. The survey is only 8 questions and should take no more than 15min. 
• Your responses will be used to help develop recommendations to address this problem which impacts U.S. competitiveness in biomedical research and innovation.
• It will close on April 14, 2023.

HELP US WRITE AND WIN OUR NEXT CONTRACT 📝 🏆

• Last but not least, our AMAZING Working Groups (Sign up here if you are interested in learning more and help the Bargaining Committee!) continue working on the Contract language and researching background information on the most important topics to build a strong case on our Contract demands. 
• We will be holding Town halls to report the work done so far in the first weeks of March. Keep an eye out for those dates!

Cheers!

Your Friendly Neighborhood Bargaining Committee.

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

TUSGA graduate students are one strike since XX for a Living Wage of $32,800, Healthcare for Dependents and Families, Longer Parental and Bereavement Leave and Better Working conditions overall (read more). Last week, Temple University announced that it is withholding tuition remission and healthcare benefits for grad workers on strike. Based on the average tuition remission for grad students at Temple (a fabricated “fee”), this means workers who already make below cost of living could owe their employer upwards of $20,000 for withholding labor.

If Temple manages to extract $20,000 from employees simply because they stand up for their rights, schools like Columbia can do the same. We can’t let that happen.

[[SIGN ON TO PROTECT WORKPLACE RIGHTS AT TEMPLE AND COLUMBIA]]

To protect our own workplace rights and demonstrate solidarity with the grad workers at Temple, we are asking every member of the Columbia community to take action by signing this letter in support of the Temple grad workers and turning out to one of our cross-union solidarity events.

💫🍻🍔 Solidarity events on Wednesday 2/15: 🍔🍻💫

1. Join a campus rally at 2:30pm, which is being co-organized by SWC, postdocs, and support staff. That’s Wednesday 2/15 at 2:30, meeting by the Sundial for Morningside Campus or at the steps of the Hammer Building for CUIMC.
   
2. Come to our VERY EXCITING cross campus fundraiser happy hour at Slattery’s Pub with NYU and CUNY to support the Temple grad union! Members from SWC, CPW (the Columbia postdocs union), NYU-GSOC, and CUNY-PSC will all be there from 7:30pm+. Share a pint while organizers circulate a link for attendees to donate $5-$20 to the Temple grads workers’ strike fund. More location info and RSVP at the bottom of this link.

We’ve already seen how wins on one campus helps set contract standards across the sector but it also works in reverse: unprecedented restrictions to legally protected activity at Temple will mangle the rights of workers at Columbia.

How can I help?

1. Participate in the rally on Wednesday 2/15 at 2:30pm. We are asking this of all students, teachers, and researchers across campus. RSVP here >>
2. Join our cross-campus fundraiser happy hour Wednesday 2/15 at 7:30pm at Slattery’s Pub, RSVP at the bottom of this link >>
3. Regardless of whether you are working on Wednesday, please add your name to this sign-on letter condemning Temple University’s administration for withholding health benefits and tuition remission from striking workers.

P.S. Can’t make it to the fundraiser but want to donate? Support the Temple grad union here: https://tugsa.betterworld.org/campaigns/tugsa-strike-fund 

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The deadline to accept steward and executive board nominations closed on Thursday, February 9th at 11:59 PM ET. We can now announce that the following candidates have been elected in their position by acclamation (they ran unopposed).

Stewards Positions:

• Mayank Kumar CUMC District 2
• Thomas Donoghue MS District 2
• En-Hung Chao MS District 3
• Elsy El Khoury MS District 3
• Jeff Johnston Manhattanvile
• Matthew Jerram Lamont District

Elections Committees Positions:

• Camilo Duarte
• Balaji S. Santhanam

Congratulations to everyone! 

In Solidarity,

CPW-UAW Elections Committee

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

As members of UAW, we are midway through a crucial moment: the first direct election for the President of the UAW international union. 

By participating in this election, you can directly elect the candidate who will set the tone for contract fights, decide how to use our membership dues, and more across all UAW locals for the next four years. As our local enters bargaining in just a couple months, this election may help determine what international resources we can access in our own contract fight.

As no candidate for the office of International President received a majority of votes in the first round, so a run-off is being held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round of elections.

Ballots were mailed to UAW members on January 12, 2023. If you have already voted in the run-off, we’re glad you have joined thousands of other members in democratically strengthening our union! If you haven’t had a chance to vote yet—have you received a ballot like the one below this month?

If you don’t have a ballot, call 855-433-8683 to request a new one. If you do not reach someone at that number, leave a voicemail with your Local number (ours is 4100), full name, and current mailing address.

Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in a historic moment for our union. Mail in your ballot, or call 855-433-8683 to request a new one today.

Would you like to find out more about the candidates?

The Candidate Forum for the office of International President, with candidates Shawn Fain (UAW Members United) and Ray Curry (Curry Solidarity Team) was held this month; watch the full debate here to learn more about the candidates!

Elections for our Union at Columbia – Final Reminder!

The deadline to accept nomination for a position as steward, Executive Board, or Elections Committee member is TONIGHT (Monday, 02/09/23) at 11:59PM EST.

If you are interested in running for steward in your district or for the open position in the Executive Board or Elections Committee, please submit your acceptance to the CPW-UAW Elections Committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com by 11:59pm EST (before midnight).

See detail here and don’t hesitate to reach out to the Elections Committee at cpwuawelections@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Solidarity,

The Columbia Postdoctoral Workers

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This is a reminder that the deadline to accept nomination for a position as Steward, Executive Board, or Elections Committee member is this Thursday, 02/09/23 at 11:59PM EST. 

If you are accepting nomination for the vacant Steward, Executive Board, or Elections Committee positions, please submit your acceptance to the CPW-UAW Elections Committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com by February 9th, 2023 at 11:59pm EST (before midnight). 

See details below and don’t hesitate to reach out to the Elections Committee at cpwuawelections@gmail.com if you have any questions. 

—————————————–

Notice of Nomination and Election of Union Stewards (19 Total), Executive Board (1 Total), and Elections Committee (4 total)

January 26th, 2023

Nominations are hereby declared open on 01/26/2023 for the CPW-UAW Steward [14 positions], Vice President [1 position], and Elections Committee (4 Total):

Stewards (19 positions):

• Click here to see the open positions per district.

Executive Board (1 position):

• Vice President

Elections Committee (4 positions)

All eligible unit members who have signed a CPW-UAW membership card are automatically nominated for the Vice President, steward positions in their district, or Election Committee. 

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. 

CPW-UAW has 27 steward positions, broken up into districts. For this election there are 19 open steward positions, one open executive board positions, and four open elections committee 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 02/09/23 at 11:59pm EST. Submit your acceptance to the CPW-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. 

Steward District Map 

Click here to view the District Map, which shows the breakdown of the number of stewards per Steward District. 

Vice President

The Executive Board positions are elected for a term expiring in 2026. Officers are allowed to vacate their positions before the end of their terms, in which case the Elections Committee would hold a vacancy election. Click here to read more about the responsibilities of the Executive Board Officer positions.

Elections Committee

The Elections Committee are elected for a term expiring in 2024. As a member of the elections committee you will be responsible for the publication of notice for nominations and elections, the verification of eligibility for candidates, the organization and supervision of election proceedings, and the counting of ballots.

Candidate Statements (Optional)

Each candidate may write and submit a candidate statement of no more than 250 words. These statements will be posted on the CPW-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 02/09/23 at 11:59pm 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 February 23rd, 2023 to March 2nd, 2023. 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 and join the union. 

Election Location: Online

Election Start Date: 02/23/23 at 9:00am EST

Election End Date: 03/02/23 at 11:59pm EST

A runoff election, if necessary, will be held at a future date. The details will be announced if necessary. 

In Solidarity, 

CPW-UAW Elections Committee

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

We invite you to our next membership meeting on Thursday January 26th at 6:30 pm. This meeting is an important one as we are officially launching the bargaining campaign in preparation to negotiate our next contract. We will present preliminary results of the bargaining survey and discuss our goals and strategies for bargaining.

• What are Postdoctoral workers’ priorities for our next contract? Based on hundreds of bargaining surveys we all submitted, we will present data on: What salary gains do we need in order to survive inflation? How high is our rent burden? What are our most urgent priorities on Benefits? Family support? Workplace rights?
• What should our bargaining goals be? We will have an open discussion about our goals that we will bring to the bargaining table. Bargaining goals will be finalized & ratified in the February membership meeting.
• How does bargaining work? Do we want open bargaining? We will go over the process of bargaining and discuss how we want our bargaining to look like.  

The meeting will be in hybrid mode, with in person options at both Morningside and CUIMC, as well as a zoom option. 

Please use one of the links below to RSVP.

RSVP to attend the membership meeting.

Our historic first contract will expire on June 30, 2023. For us, this represents a chance to negotiate better working conditions with Columbia in  our next contract! In order to make sure the negotiations address the real needs of our members, this meeting will focus on discussing the process of bargaining and our contract goals!

Are your priorities represented in the bargaining survey results? If you have not filled a bargaining survey yet – you still have time! Follow this link to take the survey, and please forward along to any other postdocs who have not yet completed the survey – every single voice matters!

In addition, we will have our monthly Finances reports and an announcement from the Elections Committee.

Also, a reminder that there is a run-off in the UAW election, since no candidate to the office of International president received a majority of votes. Ballots were mailed to UAW members on Thursday, January 12, 2023. If you haven’t shared your address with us, please update your mailing address to receive a ballot!

In solidarity,

CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

As members of UAW, we have an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our union by participating in a historic election to elect the President of the UAW International Union directly. At the end of last year, UAW members in our region already made history by electing the first academic worker, Brandon Mancilla (former president of the Harvard Graduate Student Union), to the International Executive Board as our Regional Director (the Board consists of the President, three Vice Presidents, the Secretary-Treasurer, and nine Regional Directors).

Because no candidate to the office of International president received a majority of votes, a run-off is being held between the two candidates who received the most votes in this first round of elections. 

This historic election follows a 2021 union-wide referendum, One Member, One Vote (1M1V). That referendum determined that UAW members would directly elect their leadership, rather than having delegates choose the national leadership at each constitutional convention. By participating in this election, you are able to directly elect the candidate who will set the tone for contract fights and more across all UAW locals for the next four years.

Ballots were mailed to UAW members on Thursday, January 12, 2023. If you haven’t shared your address with us, update your mailing address to receive a ballot! 

Can you take a moment to update your mailing address? 

Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in a historic moment for our union. Update your mailing address today to receive your ballot.

Would you like to find out more about the candidates?

The Candidate Forum for the office of International President, with candidates Shawn Fain (UAW Members United) and Ray Curry (Curry Solidarity Team) was held last Thursday; watch the full debate here to learn more about the candidates!

TODAY AND THURSDAY: Orientations for new postdocs/ARS followed by socials for all members!

>>> Click the pic to RSVP

TOMORROW: Picket in solidarity with Harper Collins on strike

This Wednesday Jan 18th at 12:30pm UAW Local 2110 and members of Harper Collins will be holding a rally at the parent company, New Corp. Workers/members at Harper Collins have been on strike since November 10, 2022. Two months is a long time!!

Harper Collins has refused to return to the table to bargain a fair and just collective bargaining agreement with our members. Shame on them!! 

Reply to this email if you are able to join us at the picket outside New Corp 1211 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave) between 46th and 47th at 12:30pm.

Solidarity,

The Columbia Postdoctoral Workers

HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!

Want to stay informed? Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.