Start to negotiations for a second contract - eyes on June 30th

On Wednesday, April 29th, our elected bargaining committee had our first negotiation session with the Sinai administration for a strong second contract. We began by introducing ourselves and speaking briefly about our backgrounds and research. We expressed a desire for the bargaining process to be productive and efficient so that we reach an agreement on our second contract before our current contract expires on June 30th.

We then presented Sinai with our Initial Bargaining Goals, which a majority of postdocs voted to ratify by 99%, and explained why each goal is a priority for our second contract. We talked about our efforts successfully fighting federal funding cuts over this past year, and emphasized that working productively on key improvements to our workplace conditions and protections is more important now than ever.

In the interest of reaching a successor agreement efficiently, we presented a selected set of high- priority, essential improvements to economic articles that would make Sinai more equitable for all postdocs and maintain its competitiveness as a leading research institution in NYC. You can read a full summary of proposals passed during our session below, and the full articles in our public bargaining tracker here. During the session, Sinai’s bargaining team asked our bargaining committee several questions about our proposed changes to the current contract and informed us that they will review them and provide us with responses at our next bargaining session. We again reiterated the urgency of bargaining on an intensive schedule so that we reach an agreement in a timely manner before our current contract expires.

We have tentatively scheduled a second bargaining session for next week, and we will post its date and time on our website as soon as it is confirmed. If you would like to join a bargaining session, please RSVP here, and we can send you more details.

Summary of SPOC-UAW Proposals:

Leaves of Absence: increases the length of parental leave and clarifies the length of visa renewal leave to ensure postdocs are not left without sufficient protected time off to maintain their visa status.

Housing: extends the duration of housing eligibility for postdocs, broadens access to housing, and establishes a process for ensuring postdocs are not living in housing units with uninhabitable conditions.

Childcare: improves financial support for postdoc parents.

Emergency Support Fund: improves financial support from the emergency support fund and its timely disbursement to ensure postdocs facing hardship can access it when they need it most.

Compensation: increases compensation and annual experience-based raises to ensure that postdoc pay keeps pace with the cost of living and recognizes our valuable expertise and contributions to Sinai’s research mission.  

See the full proposals at our Bargaining Tracker here. 

We have also begun establishing working groups to provide support with the bargaining process. These groups will stay in regular contact with the bargaining committee to assist with research and drive issue-based campaigns that enhance our leverage at the bargaining table. Click here to sign up for a working group!

Best,

Alanna Cote, Genetics and Genomic Sciences

SPOC-UAW 4100 Bargaining Committee