In regards to the CPW-UAW Bargaining Committee Vacancy Election scheduled to be on Thursday, October 17th, 2019, one of the candidates has withdrawn their candidacy from the election. As a result, there will no longer be an election.
The two remaining candidates have been elected by acclamation:
Pierre-Jacques Brun
Jozsef Meszaros
Congratulations to the newest members of the bargaining committee.
You can read their statements below:
Pierre-Jacques Brun
I am a fourth-year Associate Research Scientist in the department of Medicine and I have been working at Columbia University for 8 years. Having observed so many problematic situations, I am very sensitive to the power imbalance between a yearly appointed, and on soft money, career starting postdoctoral worker and highly regarded tenured Columbia Professors. Sometimes, this power imbalance is abused and the Columbia University administration has no intent on dealing with it fairly. This is why I am determined to help the postdoc and research scientist union bargain for a contract that offers better protections, a fairer grievance process in cases of sexual harassment and bullying, and better compensation for our hard work. A collectively bargained contract is the only way we can guarantee better protections for ALL postdocs and research scientists. The next few months will be critical and it would be my honor to bring my experience, here at Columbia, and my determination to the bargaining table.
Jozsef Meszaros
I’m a second-year postdoc working at Columbia University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry. I have both a law degree from UPenn and a PhD from Columbia in neuroscience. I believe research can be an extremely rewarding endeavor if the conditions are right. Harassment, economic deprivation, and precarious work-life balance arrangements can sour your relationship to Columbia, the academy, and your field. As a member of the bargaining committee, I would focus on continuing to understand the specific needs of all union members, with an emphasis on preventing and eliminating harassment and creating financial and structural support for parents. To attain these objectives, I plan to encourage postdoc attendance at bargaining sessions, with a goal of having at least five new postdocs at each bargaining session. These bargaining sessions can be a transformative experience as postdoctoral union members get a glimpse at the real inner workings of the University. Additionally, I will put my hard-earned law degree to good use by ensuring that the claims of Columbia’s highly-paid lawyers are thoroughly challenged. I believe that my previous experiences with working in law and advocacy, as well as my familiarity with Columbia University and its employees and systems will help me be an effective change-agent for all postdoctoral union members.