Strike Frequently Asked Questions

Postdocs and associate researchers will collectively decide when to request the Bargaining Committee to set a strike deadline. This means that if the University does not progress in bargaining and cease its unlawful behavior by then, then the bargaining team will declare a strike. It will last until the University corrects its bad faith conduct, until we have a viable contract or until union membership decides to cease striking.

Reach out to postdocunion@uaw4100.org if you’d like to get involved in organizing for mass participation!

During many months of bargaining, we have made strong proposals to guarantee dignified compensation and equity in the workplace, but progress is being thwarted by the Columbia administration’s unlawful conduct and lack of engagement in our contract negotiations. We have had over 20 bargaining sessions where we have negotiated in good faith and made many concessions. Admin moved slowly and made it clear from the beginning that they did not want to make too many changes to our contract. Then after the contract expired on June 30, Columbia blocked any salary raises, despite CPW making it very clear (including by providing a legal memo) that our contract allows individual postdocs/ARSs to agree to negotiation raises over than those stated in the contract (for which we filed grievances and Unfair Labor Practices, see below). Therefore trying to rush us into agreeing to a contract on their terms without making improvements in any of the crucial items that our members identify (see FAQ number 3). Even after the dozens of hours spent making our case to the administration

where we showed countless pieces of evidence, surveys, and testimonials from our members, while not denying there are funds available they continue to claim they can not offer more. 

During the 20th session, Admin requested mediation, and we have agreed to conduct mediated sessions since then. You can read the articles and Side Letters that we’ve reached agreement on and the remaining topics that we’re still bargaining here.

Furthermore, as a legally recognized union, Columbia University is legally bound to bargain and interact with the union in fair ways, as defined by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Despite this the university has committed several Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs)  – meaning actions that violate the NLRA – such that we have had to file formal complaints (details here):

• Blocked any salary raises after the expiration of our contract and until members vote in a new contract. This is despite us offering them in writing that the union will not consider it unlawful to apply any raises agreed between postdocs/ARS and their PIs outside of our contract. 
• Failure to provide information required to justify their opposition to our contract demands.  
• Failure to engage in our contract proposals by denying us the right to even discuss important topics for a majority of postdocs/ARSs like housing support or childcare. 

This type of bad faith conduct cannot go unchecked. We of course hope the University will reverse course and engage in good faith conduct and fix their unlawful actions which will give us a path to a fair agreement for postdocs and ARSs at Columbia. However, we must exercise our right to strike if they continue to not meet their legal obligations to our members.

1. Fair minimum salaries and yearly raises – Adjusting for inflation, our current minimum postdoc salary should be around $71,000. We cannot accept anything less than an inflation adjustment for both postdocs and ARSs. Following Rockefeller and Memorial Sloan Kettering earlier this summer, NYU Langone increased postdoc salaries to $70,000. Specifically we want Columbia to cover this increase using institutional funds like universities such as MIT and Princeton have done. In addition, to protect our yearly raises from future inflation, we are requesting a yearly automatic lump sum cost of living adjustment when inflation is higher than budgeted.

2. Housing stipend – Columbia University is the only private institution in New York City that does not provide guaranteed housing for all its postdocs. This situation places a significant financial burden on many of us, as we end up allocating an average of 45% of our salaries to cover rent. This is particularly challenging for international postdocs/ARSs who lack a credit history or local guarantors. We are requesting a housing stipend from central funds, something that certain departments in Columbia Engineering already have. 

3. Equality for fellows – when we win awards and fellowships we are currently classified as independent contractors, which comes with less favorable benefits and more challenging tax arrangements. We won good language to enforce that this classification is only done when the granting agency requires so. However, for those who will still have independent contractor status we want an extra compensation. Columbia has offered an additional $3,500 to offset the disadvantages of our independent contractor status. We are requesting more equity with other institutions, including our own institutes like the Zuckerman Institute, with a new fellowship program which offers a $75,000 stipend + $5,000 discretionary fund.

4. Increased childcare support – We are requesting that our child care benefit is adjusted based on the number of children, similar to the graduate student contract, rather than a fixed amount of $5,000 which causes inequalities for families with more than one child and that these funds come from Columbia directly, not grants. 

5. Commitment that the administration cannot modify our union composition and benefits without engaging in negotiations with us. Currently our contract allows for benefit changes as long as they remain similar to those of all other officers. This led to the suspension of retirement contributions in 2021 for all officers, even though the anticipated economic fallout did not materialize. We oppose the university’s ability to unilaterally decrease benefits, a fundamental part of our compensation, or to determine who is covered by our union contract.

Over 600 million dollars coming from endowment returns are spent every year on operations. Little, if any, of this amount is spent for postdocs and ARS compensation. We have looked closely at the university’s finances and our proposals can easily be met if central money is put to contribution. 

Take a look for yourself here, at this Financial Report based on Columbia’s public tax forms and related documents by an independent third-party jointly funded by CPW and AAUP, and you will see: Columbia can afford to support their staff.

A Strike Authorization Vote was held from August 7th – August 24 and all postdocs and ARSs at Columbia were encouraged to participate. 962 total votes were cast, with 98% of union members voting Yes to authorize a strike if necessary.

With majority participation, this was far and away the largest and most decisive vote ever taken of our union since we voted to unionize in 2018.