? Bargaining Bulletin 6: Relocation, Orientation, and Hiring
Unit 5 Bargaining Bulletin
November 27, 2023
Bulletin #6
CAMPAIGN UPDATES
On Nov. 23, the Bargaining Committee (BC) met with the employer to present proposals around relocation expenses, orientations, fellowship-to-faculty hiring pathways, and Unit 3 (sessional) hiring priority.
Our final proposals for this round of bargaining touched on some of the most difficult aspects of taking on a postdoc: the prohibitive expenses of mandatory relocation; getting to know the university and your responsibilities, rights, and entitlements within it; and procuring academic positions (sessional and permanent).
- Relocation expenses. We asked the employer to commit to providing reimbursement for expenses up to $5,000 for anyone relocating from 100 km or more away to satisfy residency requirements.
- Orientations. Postdocs need regular, up-to-date orientations, which we requested on a quarterly schedule to accommodate a variety of hiring timelines.
- Fellowship-to-faculty hiring. Postdocs are promised that, with patience, job security will come. We asked the employer to contribute to making this a reality by sourcing 10% of all new faculty hires from a Unit 5 postdoc hiring pool.
- Unit 3 (sessional) hiring priority. Without compromising the hiring priority status of advanced sessional lecturers, we demanded priority for Unit 3 contracts.
Our next table date: Dec. 1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The gains we achieve now are about more than just now. We are fighting for retroactive language that will apply negotiated gains to work performed since the expiry of our collective agreement—including those whose contracts have ended. But we also need to look forward to the kind of labour landscape that we want for future postdocs.
Postdocs need more support. They need support to make postdoctoral opportunities affordable, sustainable, and professionally rewarding. We are more than just cheap labourers.
Care about these issues? Join your colleagues in demanding that the university take measures to acknowledge and compensate your hard work and contributions to the university!
TAKE ACTION
Start by signing the bargaining pledge below to tell the university that you deserve fair pay and are willing to fight for it!
The next step is to join the Contract Action Team (CAT). CATs are integral to getting the word out to fellow workers about the collective bargaining process.
Click here to sign the bargaining pledge, where you can also join the CAT.
MEET YOUR BARGAINING TEAM
“So often we have been told: yes, you’ll accrue some student debt, but with the PhD will come financial security. But all around me I see talented academics asking: how do I pay down this debt when my postdoc won’t even cover my cost of living?” ~ Sarah Warren, Incoming Third Vice-President
Unit 5 Bargaining team:
Federica Berdini
Sami Mamand
Zofia Ostrowska-Podhorodecka
Eriks Bredovskis
Sarah Warren
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