Tell Columbia that now is the time for a fair agreement.

Dear President Lee Bollinger and the Trustees of Columbia University,

As our CPW-UAW Bargaining Committee and the University team endeavor to finish negotiations by the end of June, we urge your administration to execute a fair agreement that reflects the value Postdoc and Associate Researchers bring to Columbia.

Since voting by an overwhelming 68% to unionize in 2018, researchers across campus have taken numerous actions in support of a fair contract:

• A majority of researchers signed an open letter demanding fair recourse on discrimination and harassment 
• Hundreds of us signed petitions demanding fair compensation and a strong contract during the pandemic.
• We have shared our stories through social media, opinion pieces on fair compensation and gender equity in academia, and many testimonials in bargaining.
• We have met with university leadership across Columbia to discuss our priorities.
• We have gained the support of our Congressional representatives after hundreds of us sent letters and organized delegations to meet with them.

In spite of these and further actions, and almost 50 bargaining sessions, your administration has remained rigid on topics of the highest importance to researchers. This has persisted even as the COVID-19 crisis has emphasized how critical we are to Columbia’s mission and ability to restart the research program. Many of us are researching COVID-19, working as essential employees, and hundreds more of us have volunteered our research abilities to support the broader community. Our work provides one of the university’s most stable and predictable funding sources during this crisis with almost a billion dollars of grant revenue annually.

This is not the time for silence. Current circumstances threaten our ability to attract and retain a diverse community, the freedom of research, and the value of human dignity. Today, Columbia has the opportunity to help lead the change that all of us would like to see in New York City and world-wide. We need a fair contract that makes Columbia more equitable, inclusive, and competitive so we can participate in the ramp up and continue our research. We therefore urge you to reach such an agreement by the end of June, including: 

• A process to address discrimination and harassment with a timeline we can enforce;
• Compensation on par with other major NYC institutions that rewards long-term service and does not penalize winning a Fellowship;
• Paid family leave and other benefits that are secured and promote equity and inclusion;
• Standard provisions that allow us to represent ourselves effectively through our local union, including having a union shop.

Should you continue to dismiss these priorities, we will insist that our Bargaining Committee proceed toward a strike authorization vote. 

We, the undersigned representatives from departments across Columbia, commit to organizing our colleagues toward that end if it becomes necessary to reach a fair agreement.

Signed,