Bargaining Update from the week of 1/31
We had two bargaining sessions this week, a 1.5 hour session on Monday, January 31 and a 2 hour session on Thursday, February 3.
On Monday, our session was focused on Professional Development and Career Counseling. We have proposed expanding access to visa/immigration workshops to all Postdocs (which already happen regularly at several campuses), but the University’s team generated a bunch of nonsensical excuses to refuse to expand our rights. This discussion carried over to Thursday, wherein UC passed a proposal on Professional Development back to us with little-to-no improvement on resources for international Postdocs. It’s clear UC’s bargaining team knows little about international Postdoc access needs.
On Thursday, UC began our session by requesting a caucus, making us wait for the first 53 MINUTES(!) of our 2-hour bargaining session. The good news is that we won several improvements to our Union Access and Rights article, including guaranteed union orientations for all new Postdocs. This will help ensure that all new Postdocs know their rights and that all-too-frequent UCPath pay and benefit issues get resolved quickly. The university will be required to provide new information to our union, including Postdocs’ anniversary dates and benefits coverage status, which will also help in proactively addressing problems. You can find these proposals amongst all others on this tracker.
Revolt Against Rent Burden!
UAW 5810, UAW 2865, and Student Researchers United are coming together this month to demand action to address rent burden. By taking action together, we show the University that they need to take our bargaining demands seriously
RSVP to join your campus action here!
Member participation is critical to winning a strong contract. The bargaining committee holds weekly meetings that are open to all Postdoc members. There are lots of ways to fight for issues you’re passionate about! Click here to get involved!
In solidarity,
Postdoc Bargaining Team and Alternates
Sarah Arveson, UC Berkeley
Gilbert Bernstein, UC Berkeley
Chris Hart, UC Davis
Tim Kodalle, LBL
Jesse Livezey, LBL
Brad Barker, UC Merced
Ingrid Padilla Espinosa, UC Merced
Tyler Bell, UC San Diego
Adam Caparco, UC San Diego
Jade Moore, UC San Francisco
Anne Sapiro, UC San Francisco
Caitlin Taylor, UC Santa Barbara
Follow your union on Twitter @UAW5810!