On Friday, October 31st, we held our 17th bargaining session with the University. The tone of this session remained productive and collegial, continuing the positive momentum we saw earlier this month. The consistent presence and participation of postdocs during our bargaining journey continue to make a real difference — your engagement helps move negotiations forward and ensures our voices are heard. Another source of encouragement came from our postdoctoral researcher colleagues down the street at Weill Cornell Medicine, collectively Weill Cornell Medicine Postdocs United-UAW (WCMPU-UAW), who recently ratified their first union contract by a 99% margin, with a supermajority of postdocs participating in the ratification vote.
At this session, the University opened by presenting eight counter proposals on Appointment Security: Appointments and Reappointments, Discipline and Dismissal, Grievance and Arbitration, International Researcher Rights, Management and Academic Rights, No Strike – No Lockout, Union Rights and Access, and Union Security as a package. And we brought forward three additional articles that the University countered at our last session: Employment Records, Training, and Workload. After the initial presentations, the University also responded with counterproposals to Training and Workload, bringing these two articles very close to a tentative agreement.
While we continue to make meaningful progress, several key sticking points remain across multiple articles. This includes the right to request a specific visa type for international researchers, longer appointment lengths, maintaining the status quo for reappointment notice, and timely processing of grievances. Our team is working to narrow these gaps and reach fair agreements that reflect the priorities postdocs have consistently raised.
There were also obvious signs of progress in this meeting. In the Discipline and Dismissal article, we have reached agreement that just cause protections should apply to all Unit Members, meaning that discipline must be progressive, reasonable, and fair. The Training and Workload articles have been narrowed to only a few words of contention. The University is willing to hold meetings specifically to help resolve international postdoc-related issues, which is especially important in this moment of political volatility. All of these successes reflect our importance as one of the driving forces of research at the University.
As always, our power at the table is a direct reflection of your support. We saw a clear demonstration of the importance of union-wide support last week, when Weill Cornell Medicine’s postdoc union set a strike deadline and used that pressure to get a contract that sets the standard city-wide. As we move forward, it’s crucial that we maintain this momentum—pushing to address the most important remaining issues while standing firm against unnecessary delays from the University’s administration, who continue to propose lower standards on key articles. Let’s keep the momentum building — observe a session, join an action, and help us keep the pressure on. Our next in-person session is scheduled for Friday, November 14, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET. Click here to RSVP if you’d like to attend this or a future session and see the process firsthand!
You can access the full text of these proposals using our online bargaining tracker.
The fight for fair and transparent working conditions continues, and your voice matters. We urge you to stay engaged, share your experiences, and stand with us as we push for the rights every Postdoc and RA deserves.
Have questions or feedback? Don’t hesitate to reply to this email — your input strengthens our collective power.
In solidarity,
Merve Deniz Abdüsselamoğlu
On behalf of the UPROR-UAW Bargaining Committee
UPROR-UAW Proposals:
University Proposals:
Appointment Security: Appointments and Reappointments (see pages 4-9)
Discipline and Dismissal (see pages 15-17)
Grievance and Arbitration (see pages 17-21)
International Researcher Rights (see pages 1-4)
Management and Academic Rights (see pages 24-27)
No Strike – No Lockout (see pages 21-24)
Union Rights and Access (see pages 9-12)