About Us
Kailey Slavik | Postdoctoral Associate
When we ask postdocs to compromise livable working conditions to pursue their research goals, we lose talented scientists to other career paths. I support forming a union because we need to have the power to negotiate competitive wages, strong benefits, and a democratic decision-making process that will sustain a robust research community. I love science and I love Rockefeller– I want this to be the best place for all scientists to pursue their best research.
Rasha Aref | Postdoctoral Research Associate
We as postdocs are highly skilled researchers. However, our postdoc years are filled with uncertainty, financial pressures and unreasonable work hours. By forming a union, we can use our collective power to address these problems properly, by negotiating for higher and more equitable salaries and greater job stability to make our lives more secure. Working together towards building an inclusive and enriching scientific environment will benefit all of us.
Isabel Wassing | Research Associate
While a career in academia is largely passion-driven, passion quickly evaporates without proper compensation and adequate working and living conditions. By forming a union, we can do more to address problematic areas that postdocs commonly face in the workplace, improve job satisfaction and ultimately benefit everyone.
Kevin Ng | Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Unions are a critical component of many countries I’ve lived in and increasingly in academic institutions around the US, and would provide a democratic framework for postdocs to work together with the administration to ensure that we have as few barriers as possible to doing good science.
Jorge Almagro | Postdoctoral Research Fellow
With a union we can not only win more workplace protections for ourselves, but also ensure that the university can remain competitive and recruit the best scientists from across the globe. I believe the entire scientific community of Rockefeller will benefit from UPROR-UAW!
Hessam Akhlaghpour | Research Associate
How do we want our universities to function? Should we allow decisions to be made for us, without any guarantee of transparency or accountability? Or do all us deserve an equal say in the decision-making that affects our lives and work? Forming a postdoc union is an important step toward democratizing universities. The time has come for postdocs at Rockefeller to join the wave of unionization in the city and across the country.
Calvin Leonen | Postdoctoral Research Fellow
I’m pro union because it empowers us postdocs to bargain in good faith with the university for conditions that actually meet our working and living needs, with the support and backing of the United Auto Workers (UAW). As a graduate student at University of Washington, we were part of UAW Local 4121, which helped us negotiate for improved wages, implement peer-peer harassment training, and grievance procedures.
Stephen Thornquist | Postdoctoral Research Fellow
I want to focus on my science. Forming a union gives postdocs allows us to advocate for our needs together, instead of separately. A union means I don’t need to have an awkward conversation with my PI about salary or ask them to have my back. I support a union because it lets the postdoc-PI relationship center around science and discovery instead of power, benefits, and security.
Joanna Krzyspiak | Postdoctoral Research Associate
Rockefeller has the resources to provide a world-class experience for the most sensitive years of a postdoc’s scientific career. These years often coincide with other life events such as moving to a new country, starting a family, and caring for loved ones. Postdocs need security in this crucial phase, including guaranteed access to childcare, adequate pay and benefits, and support for international workers. Forming a union would provide more stability so that Rockefeller can continue to attract and train the most talented scientists from around the world.
Ryan Morrill | Postdoctoral Research Fellow
I support forming a union at Rockefeller so that academic research in New York City can be a viable career path for all talented researchers, not just those with a safety net. Providing researchers with the pay, benefits, job security, and workplace protections we deserve will create a more inclusive environment and improve the quality of our research. Our union gives us a powerful voice to advocate for ourselves and for a better system.