Postdocs - Importance of Unionizing

Importance of Unionizing

By forming a union of Postdocs at UConn, we followed in the footsteps of tens of thousands of other Postdocs, graduate employees, and other higher education employees who had already unionized. In particular we were motivated by the previous success of the UConn Graduate Employee Union, UAW Local 6950, and the University of California Postdoc union, UAW Local 5810.

The UConn graduate employees unionized in 2014 and have bargained for increased wages, more fee waivers, restoration of state employee health benefits, parking pass reductions, childcare subsidies, paid family leave, appointment security, increased international student rights, protections against sexual harassment, and more.

The UC Postdocs unionized in 2008 and have subsequently bargained for increased wages, guaranteed annual wage increases, improved benefits, paid parental and maternity leave, longer job appointments, protections from sexual harassment, and more.

Together academic employee unions in the UAW across the country, along with other labor and community allies, have made a difference in increasing funding for science research, helping stay the Trump administration’s discriminatory Executive Order, helping extend Optional Practical Training period on F1 Visas, helping win changes in Department of Labor overtime rules, and working to ensure graduate student tuition waivers were not taxed.

Below are examples of the types of gains that are possible with a strong union contract.

GEU-UAW Local 6950

University of Connecticut Graduate Employees Union

Read their contract here.

UAW Local 4121

University of Washington Academic Student Employees

Read their contract here.

UAW Local 5810

University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Postdoctoral Researchers Union

Read their contract here.

UAW Local 7902

New York University Adjunct Faculty

Read their contract here.