TL;DR
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Please RSVP for our Town Hall, where we will provide updates on our campaign. We will also provide information on the post doc’s strike deadline, how it relates to our campaign, and what your rights are to stand in solidarity with the post docs.
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The Sinai postdoc union (SPOC-UAW) announced that they will start striking on December 6 if Sinai doesn’t address its unlawful conduct and reach a new contract with them before then.
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We stand in solidarity with postdocs and their potential strike. To show your support, click here to join the pledge not to cross the picket line.
Postdoc Strike Deadline Update
In August, Postdocs at Sinai voted by an overwhelming 91% to authorize a strike if circumstances were justified. On November 10th, the postdoc union (SPOC) announced that they will strike on December 6 if Sinai does not bargain in good faith to reach a fair contract. In the course of over a year of negotiations between Sinai and SPOC, 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. SPOC has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against Sinai in response to these actions. If you have any questions about our postdoc colleagues’ strike, please reach out to us at organizing@sinaistudentworkers.org. We encourage every student worker to ask postdocs about their strike and ways you can support reaching a fair agreement.
How does this relate to our union?
As student workers, it is in our best interest that our postdoc colleagues obtain a fair and strong contract. We can build on the rights and improvements they win when we negotiate our own contract with Sinai. As of right now, Sinai has stalled its negotiations with SPOC about protections against workplace bullying, increasing salary minimums and annual bonuses, housing resources, and childcare. These same issues impact many student workers, and we stand in solidarity with SPOC as they fight for a fair contract that will raise standards for all Sinai workers.
How can we stand in solidarity with SPOC?
If a strike takes place, we can increase its impact by stressing our legal right to not cross the picket line and avoid activities that weaken our post docs’ strike. We will discuss more about what this would look like at our next Town Hall. To show your support for postdocs as they prepare for their strike, click here to join the community pledge not to cross the picket line.
Town Hall: Know Your Rights
Join us on Monday (12/4) at 12pm (Ann library 10-74) or Tuesday (12/5) at 6pm (Ann Library 11-41) for a campaign update and to learn more about the post doc’s strike deadline, how this relates to our campaign, and understand your rights to stand in solidarity with the post docs. RSVP here!
In solidarity,
Alissa Valentine
Neuroscience MTA
Sinai Student Workers Organizing Committee Member