Bargaining Committee Vacancy Election

The deadline to accept steward nominations closed last Thursday, December 3rd at 11:59 PM EST. There is one contested election (see details below) and because some positions are unopposed, we can announce the following winners of their districts by acclamation (they ran unopposed):

Yesterday we received an announcement from the Provost outlining a number of cuts to the retirement benefits of all officers. While we understand the fiscal constraints Columbia continues to face due to the pandemic, we find these cuts disconcerting given that Officers are already struggling with significant financial burdens due to COVID-19. Our workforce in particular has been critical to providing the research that brings almost a billion dollars in external grant revenue to the university every year, one of its most stable and reliable funding sources during this unpredictable period.

As we continue to gather more information from the administration, please do not hesitate to reach out with any specific questions or concerns that you would want to see addressed, or ways that these changes may affect you.

Update on steward elections

The nomination period for our steward elections concluded at midnight last night. Our elections committee will announce the results of acceptances early next week.

UAW Region 9A Forum on Combating Racism

UAW Local Unions in our Region are hosting a virtual forum on Confronting Racism: Building Worker Solidarity at Work next Wednesday, December 9 from 7-9pm.

RSVP here!

Moderator: Rosa Arenas, UAW Local 2110

Guest Speakers:  

• David Roediger, Foundation Professor of American Studies at University of Kansas where he teaches and writes on race and class in the United States.

• Naja Farley, a senior staff attorney at the National Employment Law Project (NELP). focused on improving work quality through enforcement in the areas of minimum wage, wage theft, and retaliation.

• UAW Members and their stories of combating racism at work through our union.

In Solidarity,

CPW-UAW Executive Committee

This is a reminder that the deadline to accept nomination for a position as steward is TONIGHT (Thursday, 12/3) at 11:59PM EST. If you are interested in running for steward in your district, please submit your acceptance to the CPW-UAW Elections Committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com by 11:59pm EST (before midnight).

Stewards are responsible for organizing and mobilizing in their districts, enforcing the contract and assisting members with workplace issues and grievances, and disseminating union communications. All stewards will receive training on organizing and grievance handling. Please see the District Map below to determine which district you are in and how many stewards your district will have.

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Notice of Nomination and Election of Union Stewards (27 Total)

November 19, 2020

Nominations are hereby declared open for the CPW-UAW Steward [27 positions]:

All eligible unit members who have signed a CPW-UAW membership card are automatically nominated for the steward position in their district.

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. 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 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 district position. The acceptance of your nomination in writing must be submitted no later than December 3 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.

District Map

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

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 December 3 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 December 18 to December 23. 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: Friday, December 18 at 9:00am EST

Election End Date: Wednesday, December 23 at 12:00pm EST

A runoff election, if necessary, will be held on January 4. The details will be announced if necessary.

In Solidarity,

CPW-UAW Elections Committee

This is a reminder that the deadline to accept nomination for a position as steward is this Thursday, 12/3 at 11:59PM EST. If you are interested in running for steward in your district, please submit your acceptance to the CPW-UAW Elections Committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com by December 3 at 11:59pm EST (before midnight).

Stewards are responsible for organizing and mobilizing in their districts, enforcing the contract and assisting members with workplace issues and grievances, and disseminating union communications. All stewards will receive training on organizing and grievance handling. Please see the District Map below to determine which district you are in and how many stewards your district will have. 

————————————————————————

Notice of Nomination and Election of Union Stewards (27 Total)

November 19, 2020

Nominations are hereby declared open for the CPW-UAW Steward [27 positions]:

All eligible unit members who have signed a CPW-UAW membership card are automatically nominated for the steward position in their district.

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. 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 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 district position. The acceptance of your nomination in writing must be submitted no later than December 3 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.

District Map

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

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 December 3 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 December 18 to December 23. 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: Friday, December 18 at 9:00am EST

Election End Date: Wednesday, December 23 at 12:00pm EST

A runoff election, if necessary, will be held on January 4. The details will be announced if necessary.

In Solidarity,

CPW-UAW Elections Committee

Click here to sign up as a member of our Union.

Several months ago we ratified our historic union contract, the first for postdoctoral researchers at a private university, by an overwhelming 99% vote with a majority of researchers participating.

Because all Postdocs and Associate Researchers are covered by our contract, it is a condition of employment at Columbia that you either sign up for union membership and contribute membership dues (1.44% of annual salary) or, if you object to membership, contribute a comparable “fair share” fee (1.22% of annual salary). If you are receiving this email, you have not yet signed up as a member of CPW-UAW Local 4100.

As the difference between dues and fair share fees is minimal, we strongly encourage you to fulfill this requirement by becoming a union member. Majority membership in our union means researchers have a greater collective voice in decision-making at Columbia. Becoming a member of the local union also means that you will have a say in all union decisions, which are democratically voted on, including how we allocate the funds that we receive through membership dues. As a member, you can also run for union positions, such as steward or bargaining committee.  

Click here to sign up for the Union

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions,

CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board

Join us for a Virtual Membership Meeting, Thursday, 11/19 at 6:30pm

With our bylaws now ratified and with a steward districting map in place, we will now begin elections of the stewards in each district (please see table below to determine which district you are in and how many your district will have). If you are interested in running for steward in your district, please submit your acceptance to the CPW-UAW Elections Committee by emailing cpwuawelections@gmail.com by December 3 at 11:59pm EST. 

Stewards are responsible for organizing and mobilizing in their districts, enforcing the contract and assisting members with workplace issues and grievances, and disseminating union communications. All stewards will receive training on organizing and grievance handling. 

Notice of Nomination and Election of Union Stewards (27 Total)

November 19, 2020

Nominations are hereby declared open for the CPW-UAW Steward [27 positions]:

All eligible unit members who have signed a CPW-UAW membership card are automatically nominated for the steward position in their district. 

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. 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 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 district position. The acceptance of your nomination in writing must be submitted no later than December 3 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. 

District Map

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

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 December 3 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 December 18 to December 23. 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: Friday, December 18 at 9:00am EST

Election End Date: Wednesday, December 23 at 12:00pm EST

A runoff election, if necessary, will be held on January 4. The details will be announced if necessary. 

In Solidarity, 

CPW-UAW Elections Committee

Join us for a Virtual Membership Meeting, Thursday, 11/19 at 6:30pm

This is a reminder of our virtual membership meeting this Thursday November 19 at 6:30pm. After hearing report-backs on progress with setting up our Local Union, we will discuss and vote on a set of proposed jurisdictions for our Stewards. You can find the proposal here – please feel free to review it in preparation for the meeting.

To conduct the vote and discussion in an orderly manner, we will follow the parliamentary procedure used in most Local Unions and community organization meetings outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order. Here is a cheat sheet with the most commonly used rules.  

If the jurisdictions are approved by the membership the period of nomination and election for our Stewards will begin. Stewards will fulfill a crucial role by organizing and engaging co-workers, assisting with grievances, and ensuring all Postdocs and ARSs are informed about the activities of our union. If you want to learn more about the role of Stewards and participate in this important discussion RSVP for the membership meeting here.

If you would be interested in assisting the Elections Committee as a volunteer during the Steward elections, please reach out to the Elections Committee at cpwuawelections@gmail.com  

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or suggestions,

In Solidarity,

CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board

Our next membership meeting will be held on Thursday, November 19th at 6:30pm. We will discuss and vote on proposed jurisdictions for Stewards at the meeting among other recent updates. Click here to RSVP for the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rc-ioqj4qGdIjwWR7G0Z-fLAhd-mr4JoH

Lump sum bonus for those near or above the new minimums

Lump sum bonuses should have been processed during the last pay period of October. If your salary is at or above the new minimums but are not sure whether you have received the lump sum or if the amount is correct, please reach out to columbiapostdocunion@gmail.com so we can help address the issue.

In solidarity,

CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board

The vote on whether to ratify our Local Union bylaws has concluded as of 8:00pm on Monday, November 2, 2020 and 100% of those participating voted yes to ratifying our bylaws. The results are as follows:

72 ballots submitted

• 72 – Yes
• 0 – No
• 0 – Abstained

Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote. Ratifying our bylaws is an important step in the process of establishing our Local Union, CPW-UAW 4100. You can read the bylaws here.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions about the vote at cpwuawelections@gmail.com.

CPW-UAW Local 4100 Elections Committee

This is a reminder that we will be holding an online membership meeting this evening, 10/30 at 6pm. The Bylaws Committee will present an updated draft of bylaws for our Local Union, in response to the comments and feedback you all have provided about the initial draft.   

RSVP for the Membership Meeting

Voting on whether to approve the bylaws will be held online and will open after the meeting tonight, no later than 8pm, and will close Monday, November 2nd at 8pm. Please check your inbox and spam folder for an email with instructions for casting your online vote.

The vote will be conducted by our Elections Committee. If you have any questions about the election, please reach out to the Elections Committee at cpwuawelections@gmail.com

Solidarity,

CPW-UAW Local 4100 Executive Board