Sign up for the upcoming bargaining session on April 27th!
On Wednesday, April 1st, we held our 26th bargaining session with the University.
In this session, we passed counterproposals on Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation and Grievance and Arbitration to the University. Dozens of postdocs came to observe the session, highlighting the urgency of our demands on discrimination, harassment, and bullying: clear, enforceable timelines with immediate access to a neutral third-party grievance procedure, and the ability to choose the forum for adjudication of any claims. Over 85% of postdocs signed our open letter communicating these demands to President Rick Lifton — though the University did not adjust their positions in response to this letter. At this session, the presence of so many members of our community emphasized that we cannot agree to the University’s proposals for these articles.
During the session, the administration dismissed concerns about bullying and power abuse. They reasserted their previous position, which establishes a new process that delays our ability to pursue enforceable remedies for discrimination and harassment, rather than using our standard, timely grievance and arbitration process for dispute resolution. And they continued to insist that these processes be the only path for resolving disputes arising from or related to the provisions in our eventual contract — precluding alternate forums for resolution, such as the courts.
We also received a counterproposal from the University on Union Rights and Access. We are still waiting for the University’s response to our proposals on Intellectual Property and Research Integrity.
The participation of our entire postdoctoral community will determine the strength of our contract—show the University that we will not back down by observing a session and joining our actions. Our next in-person session is scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 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.
Have questions or feedback? Don’t hesitate to reply to this email — your input strengthens our collective power.
In solidarity,
On behalf of the UPROR-UAW Bargaining Committee,
Merve Deniz Abdüsselamoğlu
UPROR-UAW Proposals:
Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
University Proposal: