{"id":6804,"date":"2023-05-09T18:12:56","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T22:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/?p=6804"},"modified":"2023-05-14T18:13:29","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T22:13:29","slug":"third-day-of-negotiating-for-our-contract-with-cu-admin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/third-day-of-negotiating-for-our-contract-with-cu-admin\/","title":{"rendered":"Third day of negotiating for our Contract with CU Admin!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner-quote-Longer-1024x198.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner-quote-Longer-1024x198.png 1024w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner-quote-Longer-300x58.png 300w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner-quote-Longer-768x148.png 768w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner-quote-Longer-1536x297.png 1536w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner-quote-Longer-2048x396.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Yesterday, May 9th, we had our third bargaining session for our Contract with Columbia University\u2019s Administration!!\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Here\u2019s a recap of what happened on May 9th:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>9:30 am, Gathering!<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We met in front of Studebaker building, CPW set up tables and Postdocs\/ARSs came to socialize, and get t-shirts, pins and flyers.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-05-09-at-9.18.42-AM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6806\" width=\"425\" height=\"567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-05-09-at-9.18.42-AM.png 567w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-05-09-at-9.18.42-AM-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-05-09-at-9.18.42-AM-300x400.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>10 am, Start of bargaining!&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026..For us\u2026 CU administration team joined ~ 10:20 am.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-16-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6805\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-16-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-16-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-16-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-16-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-16.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>During this session, the following articles were discussed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1mmma3g1QAmou6Ey3EYtOpdmMDWKbe1uPehvZOdJqEzo\/edit#heading=h.2et92p0\"><strong>Benefits<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Our main goals:<\/strong> lower healthcare premiums, protection from CU unilaterally modifying benefits, create a fund for unexpected healthcare costs, and having CU helping with relocation costs.<\/li><li>CU admin&#8217;s response was to <strong>outright reject<\/strong> everything, complaining about our \u201claundry list\u201d of demands. We responded that we need their proposals, especially on compensation, to tailor our requests further.<\/li><li>The CU admin stated their <strong>goal of maintaining a unified set of benefits<\/strong> to all <a href=\"https:\/\/facultyhandbook.columbia.edu\/content\/officers-research\">officers of research<\/a>.We responded that benefits and healthcare are critical topics for Postdocs\/ARSs, who are more vulnerable due to low pay.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1gOb6sL7PmtSn8otxboLygQwj8XLA9c8dXi2f9YAZSUs\/edit#\"><strong>Compensation<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><ul><li><strong>We presented our compensation demands<\/strong>, including cost of living adjustments (yearly raises tied to inflation), and a raise in minimum salary.<\/li><li>The CU admin <strong>called our demands unreasonable.<\/strong> They expressed a desire to \u201cfollow the \u2018market\u2019\u201d \u2013 though inconsistently, they seemed to ignore data on salaries after PhDs in the whole market (inside\/outside Academia).<\/li><li>The CU admin argued that all money should come from PI grants. They said <strong>CU will not fund compensation through its operating budget, <\/strong>despite other institutions doing this (Princeton, MIT).<\/li><li>The CU admin questioned if our salary demands are appropriate for <strong>people starting at an \u201centry-level job\u201d and with \u201czero-experience\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 ignoring the training and skills we bring to our jobs and the not-entry-level tasks we routinely perform.<\/li><li>T<strong>he CU admin has not made <\/strong><strong><em>any <\/em><\/strong><strong>offers on compensation <\/strong>&#8211; they \u201care working on it\u201d and will \u201cpresent it soon\u201d&nbsp; (timeline unspecified). This is part of a consistent pattern in which they are not responding with specific offers on <em>any economic topics<\/em>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1QA8UQ0DrLdsJS66AEweWUj2FGfl9NQjLMI-ceR_-suE\/edit#\"><strong>International Workers<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><ul><li><strong>We want better assistance for workers with visas<\/strong>: eg, providing longer duration. We introduced examples of workers who have had visa issues created or exacerbated by CU admin, and therefore, were not able to travel, missed conferences, and were stuck in their home country\u2026<\/li><li><strong>The CU admin does not agree that this should be addressed in the contract.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>A representative from the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/isso.columbia.edu\"><strong>ISSO office<\/strong><\/a><strong> was invited over <\/strong>She seemed surprised to hear how difficult it is for us to deal with departments re: visas.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1d9OW5sOfhA-N4inDGP1ptyAbIRw1uHTt\/view?usp=share_link\"><strong>Pay for Unused Vacation<\/strong><\/a><strong>:&nbsp;<\/strong><ul><li>CU admin wants <strong>to take away our right to receive pay for unused vacation<\/strong> days at the end of our appointments.<\/li><li>CU admin claimed that <strong>unused vacation is a problem for budgeting<\/strong>, and that postdocs should just take their vacation days.<\/li><li><em>We explained that while we agree that we should take vacation, we are often discouraged from taking vacation by our PIs.<\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Caucusing:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>During the session, we&nbsp; took breaks to discuss our strategy: <strong>the CU admin does not seem to be bargaining in good faith <\/strong>&#8211; <em>rejecting all our proposals, not discussing contract language, and refusing to present their compensation offers<\/em>. This does not follow the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nlrb.gov\/about-nlrb\/rights-we-protect\/the-law\/collective-bargaining-section-8d-8b3\">legal requirement of good-faith collective bargaining<\/a>, and as such means we have grounds to file an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flra.gov\/cases\/unfair-labor-practice\">unfair labor practice<\/a>. <strong>Should we use this to escalate?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Next bargaining session is on <strong>Thursday, May 11<\/strong><strong><sup>th<\/sup><\/strong><strong>, 10am at Hammer <\/strong><strong>Room LL204\/LL207<\/strong><strong>, Medical Campus, <\/strong>and another, on Monday May 15th 1pm location TBD.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong>Join the sessions! Witness the negotiation as it unfolds! Join the Organizing Committee!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Also &#8211; get your Union t-shirt and pin before going to the <a href=\"https:\/\/research.columbia.edu\/events\/2023-columbia-university-postdoctoral-research-symposium\">postdoctoral research symposium<\/a> &#8211; <strong>show support for the bargaining!<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>We will have <strong>one single debrief session <\/strong>this week on Zoom on <strong>Friday May 12th, 12:30pm<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/tZMkde2spzkvHNxmazZoJ8kPgUX_EiOxzUDr\">RSVP for the debrief!<\/a>\u00a0<br>And join our <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/CPWslack\">slack<\/a> for <strong>live updates and commentary<\/strong> during the bargaining sessions.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSf9JvAm0HV3KEY74w8V7lNcckyMBUf6MRjal1uF4KNz6gHFOQ\/viewform\"><strong>RSVP to Join the Next Bargaining Sessions<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Follow our next emails with updates on future steps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/may-9th-3rd-negotiation-session\/\">Read the full report from the 3rd bargaining session!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Reach out to us to get involved!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Follow us on social media! (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cpw_uaw\/\">IG<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CPWUAW\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.slack.com\/signup#\/domain-signup\">Slack<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Share this info with your friends and colleagues!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1HW3PkjZmIYoA0f78Op2wFTlb6s_vy4c-QYaKkior98w\/edit?usp=sharing\">CHECK THE BARGAINING ARTICLE TRACKER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cheers!<br>Your Friendly Neighborhood Bargaining Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/contact-us\/cpw-uaw-workplace-issue-form\/?link_id=5&amp;can_id=5a0365fc78cb6dcb0a831f4d9bd34958&amp;source=email-want-to-meet-fellow-researchers-learn-how-to-win-a-better-salary-join-us-this-thursday-at-6pm&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=want-to-meet-fellow-researchers-learn-how-to-win-a-better-salary-join-us-this-thursday-at-6pm\">HAVE AN ISSUE? GET IN CONTACT!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><em><strong><\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Want to stay informed? Check out <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/\"><strong><em>our website<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> and follow us on <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CPWUAW\"><strong><em>Twitter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>, <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cpw_uaw\/\"><strong><em>Instagram<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>, <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@columbiapostdocworkers\"><strong><em>TikTok<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>, <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ColumbiaPostdocUnion\"><strong><em>Facebook<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>, and join our and <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/BdMzRa7RA8sXMZui6\"><strong><em>Slack<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>\u200b.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yesterday, May 9th, we had our third bargaining session for our Contract with Columbia University\u2019s Administration!!\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udca5 Here\u2019s a recap of what happened on May 9th: 9:30 am, Gathering! We met in front of Studebaker building, CPW set up tables and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6804"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6807,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6804\/revisions\/6807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiapostdocunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}