Postdocs: Act for a Strong Contract!
We are currently in negotiations with UW administration for a new contract that will determine our working conditions for the next few years — on issues of compensation, workplace rights, and more. The involvement and activism of every single union member is critical to bargaining success. Our ability to move administration on our core issues depends on whether the administration sees that we’re united and serious about our bargaining demands.
Bargaining Schedule & Updates
Upcoming Sessions
Throughout bargaining, this page will be updated with resources to understand how contract negotiations are going. Questions and/or want to get involved in developing resources to agitate, educate, and organize our coworkers to win a strong contract? Reach out to pd-bargaining-team@uaw4121.org
Bargaining Updates
Protect International Postdocs by Ratifying IBDs Today
Last week, we launched our Initial Bargaining Demands (IBDs) for our next contract. One of our key demands is to protect and support the 40% of UW Postdocs who are international. Navigating the visa and immigration system is already a major burden. Now more than ever,...
Proposals Tracker
Check back soon. The tracker contains full text for all article proposals exchanged between UW administration and our PD bargaining team. Articles which have reached tentative agreement will be marked as TA.
Meet the Bargaining Team
Join the Contract Action Team
Sign up to be a Contract Action Team (CAT) member in your department.
The Contract Action Team are point people for updates, questions, and conversations about the contract campaign in a department. A strong network of CATs across UW will be crucial to our ability to win a strong contract by making sure that every single member is connected and empowered to take action together!
Fill out the form below to get started.
Get connected with organizing:
The foundation of our power is in making sure that our coworkers are signed up as members to have a say in our collective future. Building this powerful movement grounded in mass participation & empowerment takes each and every one of us.
Fill out the form below or reach out to the PD Organizing Committee (pd-bargaining-team@uaw4121.org) to get connected to other members in your department & area.
Our Stories
“The only way I feel I can survive and thrive in this expensive city, especially as a person of color, is by having a strong Postdoc union contract. All Postdocs deserve to do their work with dignity and they have the right to feel protected and safe from the incessant assault from organizations like ICE. Solidarity means lifting everybody simultaneously, especially the most marginalized ones — immigrant fellow colleagues.”
“I came to the US for my Postdoc to learn from the best. Moving halfway across the globe is a costly and difficult endeavor in and of itself. Working as an international Postdoc is made more precarious due to a high cost of living as well as short work contracts and visas. This is why we deserve a strong contract that provides us with the security, peace of mind, and fair wages that other skilled workers already receive.”
The Bargaining Team
Jacob Sacks, Computer Science and Engineering
Cassandra Henderson, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Winston Dredge, Genome Sciences
Mateo Lopez Espejo, Psychology
Haruki Hirasawa, Atmospheric and Climate Science
Meet the Contract Action Team
William Livernois
Postdoc (PD)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Audrie Langlais-Elliott
Postdoc (PD)
Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Troy Zaremba
Postdoc (PD)
Department of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences
Beth Armentrout
Postdoc (PD)
Nursing
Nick Tusay
Postdoc (PD)
Astronomy
Minke Nota
Postdoc (PD)
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Jake Sacks
Postdoc (PD)
Computer Science & Engineering
