300 Student Workers at Mount Sinai Win Their Union with 90% Union Yes

Graduate student workers at Mount Sinai in New York City have won their union, Sinai Student Workers-UAW (SSW-UAW), according to votes tabulated by the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, October 9. The new unit will represent the more than 300 graduate workers across Mount Sinai who make up a large percentage of the overall research workforce. The vote was 218 to 24, with 90% percent voting yes.

Student workers make essential contributions to the world-class research conducted at Mount Sinai, but many struggle with pay that has not kept up with the high cost of housing, healthcare, and other forms of financial stress in New York City, lack secure rights in the workplace, and face increasing uncertainty given the precarious nature of science funding and unstable regulation of visas and work authorization in recent years.

“After many months of organizing, countless conversations with our colleagues, and more than a year of delays by Sinai, we are excited to announce that we have won our union,” said Sanutha Shetty in the Neuroscience program. “With a clear majority of eligible student workers voting yes, we have sent an unambiguous message to Sinai that they should respect our vote and start bargaining with us.”

“We have already seen the power of organized researchers at major research institutions to dramatically improve their working conditions, including right here in NYC with our postdoc colleagues at Mount Sinai, and student workers at Columbia University, NYU, and more. We’re proud to be part of the movement to raise standards across the sector, and we are looking forward to negotiating a strong first contract.”

“This victory was worker-led and hard fought,” said Brandon Mancilla, Director of UAW Region 9A, which includes New York City. “We welcome these workers into the growing UAW family.  And we look forward to standing with them as we fight together for a strong first contract that achieves what they deserve and continues to raise standards for academic workers across the U.S.”

Visit SinaiStudentWorkers.org and follow SSW-UAW on Twitter to learn more.