? Bargaining Bulletin 2: Demanding Respect for Postdoc Research
Unit 5 Bargaining Bulletin
October 10, 2023
Bulletin #2
CAMPAIGN UPDATES
Your bargaining committee (BC) met with the employer on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Here is what you need to know.
The BC presented three key proposals. These proposals are designed to address three key problems:
- Job security. We are requesting a minimum of two-year contracts with automatic one-year renewal. We want to make it harder for the employer to end your contract.
- Overtime pay. You should get paid for the work you do!
- Teaching opportunities. The university shouldn’t claw back your postdoc salary when you take on a teaching appointment. We also need better access to teaching opportunities for postdocs.
The employer has said that they will not respond to these proposals individually. However, we know that these issues are urgent and require a response on their own merits, which is why your BC is pushing the employer for a response to each of these proposals at our next table date.
To read the full proposals, visit weareuoft.com/our-demands-unit-5/.
Our next table dates: Oct. 16 and Nov. 2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Postdocs are the backbone of academic research and teaching in higher education—we work long hours to develop cutting-edge research, provide high-quality instruction, mentor emerging scholars, and enhance the prestige of our institutions.
Universities depend on our labour. But our contracts don’t reflect this.
Negotiating a new contract is our chance to fight for what we deserve. But we need to show the university that we are organized and willing to take action!
TAKE ACTION
To win improvements to our working conditions, we all must come together.
Want to take action? Sign the bargaining pledge below to tell the university that you deserve better and are willing to fight for it.
Want to be a leader in the fight for postdoc respect and recognition? Join the Contract Action Team (CAT). CATs are integral to getting the word out to fellow workers about the collective bargaining process. Time commitments and duties are highly flexible!
Click here to sign the bargaining pledge, where you can also join the CAT.
MEET YOUR BARGAINING TEAM
“Postdocs play an essential role in making the discoveries the world needs. They deserve the well-being of a livable wage!” ~ Zofia Ostrowska-Podhorodecka, Unit 5 Member Representative
Unit 5 Bargaining team:
Federica Berdini
Sami Mamand
Zofia Ostrowska-Podhorodecka
Christien Garcia
Eriks Bredovskis
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