Senior researchers, postdocs and graduate students went downtown as a group for an action against funding freezes in February – join us at our upcoming rally on Tuesday, April 8!
Take Action! Click here to join our Rally on 4/8 to fight back cuts to federal research funding
Our historic union election run by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will begin next Wednesday, April 9 and Thursday, April 10, in person at the Levinson Student Center in Annenberg! In order to ensure that everyone participates, please plan your vote time in advance.
If a majority votes “yes” for our union, Mount Sinai will have a legal obligation to negotiate with us over our pay, benefits, and workplace rights. The more of us who participate and vote “yes”, the more effectively we can negotiate for improvements.
Check out our website for voting information and perspectives from colleagues on our union formation. As we approach the union election, we wanted to emphasize one reason why all of our colleagues should vote “yes” next week.
By forming a union, we can enhance our collective voice as researchers on national policy. We are part of a growing national movement in academia, with more than 120,000 academic workers who have already become part of the UAW, including the largest number of unionized researchers with PhDs. Unionization has provided researchers like us with a bigger voice to advocate nationally on important issues like protecting and expanding federal science funding and international researcher rights.
This is particularly important now, as the Trump administration continues to push massive cuts to the NIH and other federal research agencies. Senior researchers at Sinai have already been fighting back against these cuts, and next week, we alongside other NYC researchers are organizing a rally to ”Kill the Cuts” at 5pm on April 8th at Bryant Park, part of a National Day of Action with UAW academic workers across the country.
The more of us who participate in the action, the more effectively we can show congressional leaders that they must do more to protect federal research funding. Here at Mount Sinai, grad workers, postdocs, researchers, and staff will be meeting at 4pm in front of Icahn before heading down to the rally together. Let us know if you can attend the rally here!
If you have any remaining questions about collective bargaining or efforts to defend our funding and careers, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@sinairesearchersunion.org, or check out our website FAQs.
In solidarity,
Qingkun Liu
Senior Scientist, Neuroscience
ROCS-UAW Organizing Committee
Jeromine Klingler
Instructor, Medicine – Infectious Disease
ROCS-UAW Organizing Committee