Bargaining update: We proposed economic articles; almost no further movement from the University on Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation

Join our researcher day of action on Wednesday, May 20th, at 12 PM!

On Wednesday, April 16th, Monday, April 27th, and Monday, May 11th, we held our 27th, 28th, and 29th bargaining sessions with the University. At the sessions in April, we continued our discussions on the remaining non-economic articles, though the University showed little movement on the issues that Postdocs and Research Associates have made clear are important to them. At the last session, we proposed our economic articles, and we are eager to reach agreement on these new articles. But the University has only agreed to one session between now and mid-July, leaving a gap of almost seven weeks with no bargaining.

To demonstrate the urgency of the need to: (1) address the affordability crisis in New York City and end the underpayment of postdoctoral scientists when compared to government standards; and (2) establish strong and immediately enforceable protections against bullying, discrimination, and harassment rampant in academia, New York City scientists are organizing a NYC Day of Action on Wednesday, May 20th. At Rockefeller, we will have a rally on Wednesday, May 20th, at noon.

Sign up here to participate in the UPROR-UAW/NYC Day of Action Rally!

— April 16th —

On April 16th, the University presented counterproposals on Intellectual Property and Research Integrity, which closely adhered to current University policy with no additional protections or guarantees. We provided responses on April 27th stating that we need: (1) enforceable rights to authorship credit; (2) protections against disclosure of our unpublished data; (3) clear disclosure of University conflicts of interest; (4) our participation in licensing decisions; and (5) the ability to immediately enforce these rights through the contract’s grievance procedure.

— April 27th —

On April 27th, the University presented their counterproposals on the Grievance and Arbitration and Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation articles. Unfortunately, both counters were nearly identical to their proposals a month earlier: (1) no protections against bullying and abusive conduct; (2) no immediate access to our contract’s grievance and arbitration procedure with enforceable timelines for bullying, discrimination, and/or harassment complaints; (3) no guarantees of immediate supportive measures; (4) a waiver of rights to go through the courts for statutory violations; (5) overly broad grievance definitions; and (6) long timelines for enforcing our rights, even for standard grievances. We continue to assert that the University’s proposal is completely unacceptable, which more than 50 of us made clear with our presence at the April 1st bargaining session. This means that we need your continued support and participation to demonstrate that we cannot reach agreement on a contract unless we have access to fast and fair dispute resolution through the contract’s grievance and arbitration procedure, while also not waiving our rights to bring statutory claims in court.

The Union and the University also exchanged counters on Union Rights and Access, in which both us and the University made considerable progress toward agreement. The University must resolve the remaining disagreements in this article so that we can efficiently enforce our contract, fairly represent all Postdocs and Research Associates, and ensure that all Unit Members receive the protections and benefits afforded by the contract.

— May 11th —

On May 11th, we proposed our economic articles. These proposals contain the terms of the benefits and compensation the University provides us. Here is a summary of each article proposed:

Child Care

This article outlines the child care benefits provided to us by the University. Our proposal ensures best practices for quality of care, alongside a cap on tuition costs of 12% of a Unit Member’s adjusted gross income, and not higher than $20,000. We further propose a Parent-Teacher Committee that provides Unit Members and the Union with a forum for meeting with the University to resolve child care concerns. We have also proposed contributions from the University to a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Program, which provides a pre-tax account to which the University will contribute $7,000 per Unit Member’s household that can be used to pay child care costs for dependents up to age 13.

Compensation

This article dictates our minimum compensation. Our proposal guarantees a 4% minimum year-over-year increase in our compensation to maintain (or slightly increase) buying power, and increases the minimums to $96,808 for all Postdoctoral Associates and Fellows who have at least one year of experience at the University, and to $108,997 for Research Associates. These numbers are derived from grades GS-11 and GS-12 of the location-adjusted federal General Schedule, which dictates the minimum compensation for professional scientist positions in New York City. Grade GS-11, which applies to new PhDs, provides the minimum amounts for Postdoctoral Associates and Fellows, while grade GS-12 serves as the basis for the proposed minimum compensation for the Research Associate position. Each year, these minimums will increase by at least 4%.

Hardship Fund

Our article establishes a $200,000-per-year allocation to a University Postdoctoral Researcher Hardship Fund, which we can apply for in cases of financial hardship, such as medical or dental emergencies.

Holidays

This article establishes days off based on federal, state, local, and University holidays, as well as guarantees at least 6 additional paid personal days off each year, without counting the observance of recognized religious and/or cultural holidays toward that guarantee.

Housing (with Appendix: Apartment Buildings Designated for Unit Members and Other University Employees)

This article proposes standards for University housing provided to us. Our proposal ensures a transparent waitlist procedure to make it easier to apply for (and anticipate access to) University housing, provides accountability for repair and maintenance, and caps rent increases at 0.25% year-over-year, consistent with the NYC Rent Guidelines Board’s recent proposal.

Insurance Benefits (with Appendix: Reimbursement Form for Insurance Benefits)

This article outlines the insurance benefits provided to us. It reduces maximum out-of-pocket expenses, guarantees choice of health care plan, and provides assurances of stability in the coverage—and the cost of that coverage—provided over the duration of the contract.

International Researcher Rights

We had reached a (Tentative) Tentative Agreement on this article, with agreement across our non-economic demands in the proposal. Now that we are bargaining over economics, we have reopened the article to discuss coverage of costs for visa applications and renewals, including travel expenses and consular fees, as well as coverage for premium processing fees if necessary for changes of status.

Leaves of Absence

This article provides the terms of our leaves of absence, including 16 days of paid safe/sick leave, 16 weeks of paid parental leave, 12 weeks of paid family medical leave to care for family members with serious health conditions, and paid visa renewal/immigration procedure leave, among others.

Parking and Transportation

This article provides reasonable and safe accommodations for bicycle parking, reimbursement for transit services used to commute to and from the University, and on-campus parking for us upon request.

Professional Development

This is another (Tentative) Tentative Agreement we have reopened for an economic section. Our proposal is reduced from our original demand in the non-economic stage of bargaining, now providing $2,000 per appointment year for professional development opportunities to ensure we receive adequate institutional support.

Recreation

This article ensures the University shall continue to provide discounts and benefits on the same terms and conditions as those offered to other University employees. We are requesting that the University provide us with access to Wellness Works and the Faculty Club free of charge.

Relocation Assistance

This article provides reimbursement for covered relocation expenses for newly hired Unit Members, including travel from the Unit Member’s former residence to their new residence, hotel or temporary housing accommodations, and household moving expenses.

Retirement

This article extends University contributions to The Rockefeller University Retirement Plan of 8% of the Unit Member’s base compensation to all Unit Members.

Tax Assistance

This article provides access to tax treaty specialists in the Office of Immigration and Academic Appointments, reimbursement of up to $200 per year for tax assistance expenses, and other support.

Vacations

This article provides Unit Members with at least 30 days of vacation per year. It also states that unused vacation should roll over or be compensated.

Wellness

This article ensures we have access, free of charge, to all University wellness facilities, amenities, and services, as well as to services provided through the University’s Health and Wellness Programs.

The participation of our entire postdoctoral community will determine the strength of our contract—show the University how important these demands are to us by observing a session and joining our actions. Our next in-person session is scheduled for Monday, May 26, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET. Click here to RSVP if you’d like to attend this or a future session and see the process firsthand!

Also, don’t forget to attend the Rally on the Day of Action (Wednesday, May 20th). Sign up here.

You can access the full text of all proposals using our online bargaining tracker.

In solidarity,

Stephen Thornquist

On behalf of the UPROR-UAW Bargaining Committee,

UPROR-UAW Proposals:

Intellectual Property (04/27/2026)

Research Integrity (04/27/2026)

Union Rights and Access (04/27/2026)

Child Care (05/11/2026)

Compensation (05/11/2026)

Hardship Fund (05/11/2026)