The rockefeller university

Dear Rockefeller University Postdocs and Research Associates:

We are writing on behalf of the University’s bargaining committee to provide an update following our most recent bargaining sessions with the UAW on July 28, August 10, and August 27.

One recent development is that on September 8, the Union called for a strike authorization vote, with voting concluding on September 15. Importantly, our understanding is that this is not a vote to go on strike now but would authorize the Union to call for a strike in the future. We will come back to this topic below, but from the outset, we want to be clear:  While unit members have the legal right to strike, we believe everyone’s time would be better spent negotiating and working together at the bargaining table in the spirit of compromise.  The Union, instead, appears to have only one playbook – threatening a strike (as at Weill Cornell) or going on strike (as at Mt. Sinai).

The University remains committed to reaching a fair and comprehensive agreement through continued negotiations. On July 14, 2026, we made a comprehensive proposal that addressed all the Union’s proposals.  Many – though not all – of the University’s proposals were almost identical to the same provisions the Union agreed to at Weill Cornel and Mt. Sinai, and the University expressed a willingness to make significant movement on other key items – such as compensation – if the Union was willing to set aside the time necessary to reach a fair first collective bargaining agreement.  The University offered to meet for three days in a row at two different times to reach an agreement over the summer. The Union, instead, rejected the University’s proposal, and instead proposed to bargain on each issue separately.

Simply put, our experience has been that the Union’s approach to bargaining has hindered the parties’ ability to reach a fair and timely agreement. While the University routinely responds to Union proposals during bargaining sessions, the Union bargaining committee has repeatedly told us that they cannot engage with or agree to our proposals during sessions – we instead need to wait for a following bargaining session (usually two weeks away) to receive a response.  Bargaining requires that the parties are empowered engage in the give and take inherent to negotiations during sessions.

There are many other examples of the Union’s approach that have made progress more difficult. For example, several of the Union’s current demands go well beyond the terms of agreements the UAW has reached at comparable institutions. As you likely know, the Union has demanded salaries of over $95,000 for most Postdoctoral Associates and Fellows, and over $105,000, for Research Associates. These exorbitant salary demands are out of touch with the reality of salaries for union contracts covering Postdocs at peer institutions. In addition, while Rockefeller’s on-campus housing options for postdocs are superior and less expensive than housing at peer institutions, the Union has demanded an unreasonable near-total rent freeze, with annual increases capped at 0.25%. The Union’s refusal to recognize the value of the full compensation package that Rockefeller already offers, while also making financial demands that are far out of line with Rockefeller’s peers, has made progress difficult. This is especially important because Postdoc and Research Associate compensation is primarily funded through individual laboratory budgets, which depend heavily on extramural research funding. Salary and benefit costs therefore have a direct impact on laboratory finances at a time when federal research funding has been significantly reduced due to fewer research grants being awarded.

Finally, we want to make sure everyone understands the unfortunate implications of a strike. During a strike, Postdocs and Research Associates who choose to strike will not be paid by Rockefeller and cannot continue work on their Rockefeller research projects during that time.  Nonetheless, you also have the right not to participate in a strike and can continue your work if you so choose.  As mentioned above, while unit members have the legal right to strike, the University believes everyone’s time would be better spent on negotiating in good faith and reaching agreement on key remaining issues.

We feel that it is important that everyone has a clear understanding of what is happening at the bargaining table and what is at stake.  Our shared goal should be to achieve a fair and equitable first collective bargaining agreement.

We will continue to keep you informed as negotiations develop.

Sincerely,
Mike Young and Tom Sakmar