Last Friday, over one hundred postdocs came to our emergency mass meeting and voiced their strong support for starting an unfair labor practice strike on December 6, 2023. After a strong supermajority strike authorization vote in August and demonstration for urgency for a fair contract through numerous rallies, petitions, and testimonials, it has become clear in recent bargaining sessions that striking is the only path left to win a fair contract in a timely manner.
We started bargaining with Mount Sinai in October 2022, and it is now almost the end of 2023. Throughout more than a year of negotiations, the Sinai administration has stalled and undermined the bargaining process by unlawfully threatening international postdocs’ visas, making unilateral changes to existing policies, and failing to provide information in a timely manner. We have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges on these issues. Sinai now has two options: either they rectify their unlawful behavior and bargain intensively in good faith so we can reach a fair agreement before December 6, or we strike.
A strike deadline on December 6 gives Sinai plenty of time to reach a fair agreement. We know the value of our labor, and we are prepared to withhold it in order to make Sinai bargain in good faith so we can reach a fair agreement.
Here are some ways we can get ready to strike on December 6:
1. Be prepared & get connected:
- Make a plan with your lab and PI for managing critical priorities during your absence.
- Connect with your coworkers and strike captains to make a plan for your lab, floor, and department. To get more involved in organizing for mass participation, reach out to organizing@sinaipostdocunion.
org, and an organizer will be in touch.
2. Sign up to be on the picket lines. In order to qualify for strike benefits you must participate in the equivalent of 20 hours of strike duty per week (e.g., five 4-hour shifts on the picket line or other activity that supports the strike).
3. Talk with your colleagues about the importance of their solidarity & support:
- Ask your PI to sign this letter from Sinai faculty urging the administration to reach an agreement that avoids a strike.
- Pledge to contribute to our strike fund which will support postdocs financially burdened by striking and share with your networks.
Additional Resources: Strike FAQ and Bargaining Information
- Strike FAQ: See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the upcoming strike. We will continue to update this page with new questions — please reach out to organizing@sinaipostdocunion.
org with any questions or concerns. - Bargaining Information: Proposals, updates, and more are available on our website, sinaipostdocunion.org.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts,
SPOC-UAW Bargaining Committee
Pooja Viswanathan, Neuroscience
Andrea Joseph, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Pablo Knobel, Environmental Medicine and Public Health
Lukas Bethlehem, Genetics and Genomic Sciences
Photos from our mass meeting last Friday
