NLRB withdrawal of Columbia’s Request for Review
Click the image to read the NLRB withdrawal of Columbia’s Request for Review.
CPW-UAW Response to Request for Review
Click the image to read CPW-UAW’s brief to the NLRB.
Columbia University Request for Review
Click the image to read Columbia’s Request for Review to the NLRB.
On September 18th, the regional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) set dates for our election on unionization to take place on October 2 and 3. The NLRB rejected Columbia’s attempt to deny more than 1,000 of us to vote at all and further agreed with our proposal for Postdoctoral Research Scientists/Scholars/Fellows and Associate Research Scientists/Scholars to vote on and be represented together in the same union
Decision and Direction of Election
Click the image to read the decision and direction of election from the NLRB.
On August 10th, 2018 after a majority of postdoctoral researchers signed up in support of CPW-UAW as their union, we filed a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Since Columbia did not accept our proposal to have a union representing Postdoctoral Research Scientists/Scholars, Postdoctoral Research Fellows and Associate Research Scientists/Scholars, the NLRB held a two-day hearing to help determine who will be eligible to vote on and be represented in our union..
Columbia attempted to schedule additional hearing time to put on evidence and testimony to support their argument that Postdoctoral Research Scientists (PDRS) and Postdoctoral Research Fellows (PDRF) are not employees and should be denied the right to a union. The regional NLRB rejected their request, based on previous NLRB decisions, but did allow them to submit an “offer of proof,” essentially a summary of what their case would have been if the NLRB allowed hearings on their claim that PDRS and PDRF are not employees.
After the hearings concluded, both the university and the union submitted “briefs,” a written summary of the arguments made around the composition of the union and who should be eligible for union representation. You can read the universities ‘offer of proof’, the briefs from the university and union and the complete transcripts of the hearings below.
CPW-UAW Post-Hearing Brief
Click the image to read CPW-UAW’s brief to the NLRB. The brief is our argument, based on the evidence and witness testimony in the NLRB hearings, on why postdoctoral researchers; Postdoctoral Research Scientists/Scholars, Postdoctoral Research Fellows and Associate Research Scientists/Scholars, should be included together in a union.
Columbia University Post-Hearing Brief
Click the image to read Columbia’s brief to the NLRB. Columbia argues that Postdoctoral Research Scientists (PDRS) and Postdoctoral Research Fellows (PDRF) are not employees and should be denied the right to a union. If the NLRB finds that PDRS and PDRF are employees, Columbia argues they still should be forced to have a separate union from Associate Research Scientists.
Columbia’s “offer of proof”
Click the image to read Columbia’s ‘offer of proof’ NLRB. Columbia attempted to schedule additional hearing time to put on evidence and testimony to support their argument that Postdoctoral Research Scientists (PDRS) and Postdoctoral Research Fellows (PDRF) are not employees and should be denied the right to a union.
Full Transcripts
Click here to read the full transcripts of the NLRB hearing.
