During our 2022 union contract negotiations, UC Postdocs won an increase in the minimum initial appointment length from 1 to 2 years – this will improve job security for all new Postdocs and also increase visa length for international scholars. Since then, UC failed to grant 2-year initial appointments to hundreds of Postdocs (including me). Now, after Postdocs across UC used the grievance process to enforce our contract, UC has been forced to remedy these violations.
Thanks to our collective power through our union, UC has agreed to:
- Correct all initial appointments of less than 2 years that started after our contract was ratified on December 9, 2022
- Create an expedited process to resolve any appointment length cases that arise in the future. If you receive an initial appointment of less than 2 years, send an email to uaw5810@uaw5810.org and a campus union steward will help you resolve it.
- Reimburse the visa application fees (up to $205) of any Postdoc who needs to get a new visa stamp due to an incorrect appointment length
- Approve time off requests for Postdocs who need to correct their visa length
This is particularly significant for international Postdocs whose visas are tied to the length of our appointments. This win was only possible because a majority of all Postdocs are union members. If you are not currently a union member, help enforce your rights and build on the victories we have already won by clicking here to sign up for membership today.
In solidarity,
Bernard Ngara
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
School of Pharmacy and Medicine
UAW 4811 San Francisco