Postdocs at Rockefeller University in NYC Win Their Union

Postdoctoral researchers at Rockefeller University have voted in favor of forming United Postdoctoral Researchers of Rockefeller-UAW (UPROR-UAW) as their union. The vote was 69% in favor according to ballots tallied Thursday night by the NLRB. UPROR-UAW will represent approximately 300 workers.  

"I love science and I love Rockefeller—I want this to be the best place for all scientists to pursue their best research,” said Kailey Slavik, a Postdoctoral Associate at Rockefeller. “I’m thrilled with the outcome of this vote because it gives us more power to make sure our pay keeps up with NYC’s cost of living, protect and improve benefits and workplace rights, and have a democratic decision-making process to sustain our robust research community. We are ready to move forward with our union."

This victory is part of a city-wide movement of postdoctoral researchers forming unions at academic institutions in New York City, including at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Columbia University, Icahn School of Mount Sinai, New York University, and Weill Cornell Medicine. It also comes amidst a wave of academic workers voting to unionize across New England, including graduate workers at the University of Vermont, Resident Advisors at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, graduate workers at the University of New Hampshire, non-tenure track faculty and researchers at Harvard, graduate workers at Penn and postdocs at Princeton. Postdocs at Rockefeller join nearly 120,000 UAW-represented academic workers across the United States.

“Congratulations to Rockefeller’s postdocs, who organized and overcame opposition to win their union,” said Brandon Mancilla, Director of UAW Region 9A, which includes New York City, New England and Puerto Rico.  “We’re proud to welcome them into the UAW, and to New York City’s growing community of unionized researchers. We look forward to supporting Rockefeller postdocs as they move to negotiating a strong first union contract.”

For more updates, follow UPROR on Instagram or visit RockefellerPostdocUnion.org.