This email is to share the news that we have a tentatively agreed contract with Columbia University to be voted on by the membership. The offer has been tentatively agreed (TA) to by CPW’s Bargaining Committee (BC) as a condition to bring it to the membership. To clarify, Columbia University demanded that the BC TA the attached offer, or it would not be offered. Based on this, the BC has agreed to present a factual description of the offer, and to present it to the membership for a vote to decide whether to accept this offer.

This means that we must now vote on this contract offer – there will be an email link with more details and information sent out later today (Wednesday) including a link to vote, and we will discuss this offer further at our upcoming membership meeting Thursday, October 26th, 2023 @ 6:30 pm (RSVP here)

The full contract offer is linked here – please read through it to prepare to vote. Note that this contract includes all the previously agreed and TA’d updates to our contract that we have previously discussed (including power-based harassment protections, improved rights for fellows and international students, relocations, a hardship fund, etc), as well as some updates from today.

Here are key updates from today:

  • An updated compensation package, with postdoc minimums ranging from 70K and 75k depending on experience, and ARS minimums ranging from 77K and 79k depending on experience, with 3 percent yearly increases for both. The contract would be in effect from the date it is ratified until June 30, 2026.
  • Other demands that the union has made, including a housing stipend and expansion of childcare support beyond the 5K per family, are not included in this offer. In addition, it does not include any institutional money to support postdocs.
  • Note that if agreed, this contract starts at ratification (it is not retroactive) and so you will not get retroactive payments. The new salaries will go into effect if and when the membership ratifies the contract.
  • This TA also includes withdrawing bargaining-related unfair labor practices (ULPs) that we have filed against Columbia. This means people will not be able to use a ULP to pursue retroactive pay increases, or file a new grievance on this topic (all previously filed grievances are still and will remain active).

This contract now goes to the membership for a vote. If members vote yes, this contract will be ratified and go into effect. If members vote no, then we will be going on strike on November 1, 2023, and everything goes back to the table – including ULPs that were previously filed.

Please read this packet very carefully. Also, please come to the membership meeting on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 6:30PM in person and on Zoom. You can register for the meeting here. You will receive another email tomorrow with a link to vote.

READ THE DOCUMENT HERE

In solidarity,

CPW Organizing Committee

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