Across two sessions, Sinai continues pushing for weak contract

Aug 14

Last week, postdocs and senior researchers across Mount Sinai came together to hear bargaining updates and discuss how we can build pressure on Sinai to reach fair contracts.

We met with the Mount Sinai administration for our eighth and ninth bargaining sessions in the past three weeks. We exchanged proposals across both sessions, and reached a tentative agreement on Holidays. In each session, Sinai continued to resist meaningfully addressing our priorities, while pushing for weakened rights and protections in the contract.

When pressed on their proposal to reduce anniversary increases, for example, Sinai's response was that they "don't agree" that reducing raises from 3% to 1.5% is actually a cut or worsens our working conditions. On the Emergency Support Fund, Sinai's team maintained that the fund should be "sunset" and that the "dollars could be allocated elsewhere," without agreeing to make improvements in other parts of the contract. On Parental Leave, Sinai insisted six weeks is enough and that parents can also pull from their sick leave and vacation to cover for more time. When we pushed them on how Childcare could help make the institution more equitable by helping support parents continuing in research, Sinai's only response was "thanks."

In the last session, Sinai's team also refused to engage productively on questions around the cost of proposals, which we had hoped would bring us closer to a mutual understanding about what the institution's constraints are. Mount Sinai's own website tells us that Sinai is now the eleventh most funded institution in the country.

It's critical that we all continue to stay informed and participate in order to show Sinai we are meaningful members of the community. You can follow details on the negotiations in our public bargaining tracker here, and find summaries below:

On Compensation, Sinai's latest proposal had no movement on minimum salary for first year postdocs, and keeps 3% anniversary raises during the first year but slashes all future raises in half to 1.5%. In our counter proposal, we made meaningful movement in salary adjustments for 4th and 5th year postdocs, moving down from 4 to 2% increments after the 3rd year.

On Housing, Sinai provided limited movement on extending the housing application deadline for new postdocs and slightly increased time allowed for delayed employment start dates. We moved toward Sinai on the delayed employment start dates in our counter proposal and reasserted our other positions including housing for the duration of employment.

On Leaves, Sinai continues to reject our proposal to expand paid parental leave. Sinai increased its proposal on visa renewal leave from 8 to 10 paid days, but is maintaining burdensome requirements for postdocs who need time off to renew their visas. We moved on language we thought was reasonable about postdocs needing to respond to requests from the Office of International Personnel.

We provided movement in our responses on the Childcare FSA amount, which Sinai has yet to engage meaningfully with, and Relocation payment amounts. On Contract Duration, Sinai proposed that our contract last for 5 years as opposed to the 3 year term we agreed to in our previous contract. On Holidays, we reached a tentative agreement that gives postdocs 8 months to use a compensatory personal day after working a holiday.

Our next bargaining session will take place on Monday, August 31, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. You can RSVP to join here! It is essential that we keep up the pressure on Sinai by standing together for a fair contract.

Solidarity,

Clauvis Yengo, Medicine - Infectious Disease
SPOC-UAW 4100 Bargaining Committee

SPOC-UAW Local 4100 Proposals:

Childcare (08/14/2026)

Compensation (08/14/2026)

Holidays (07/29/2026)

Holidays (08/14/2026)

Housing (07/29/2026)

Housing (08/14/2026)

Leaves of Absence (07/29/2026)

Leaves of Absence (08/14/2026)

Resignation and Exit Interviews (07/29/2026)