July 16

Dear Rockefeller University Postdoctoral Researchers and Research Associates,

We write with an update following this week’s collective bargaining session between the University and the UAW, our 31stĚýĚýcollective bargaining session since March 2025.

Unfortunately, negotiations are moving at a glacial pace.ĚýĚý From our perspective, the Union does not seem ready – or willing – to finalize a first collective bargaining agreement in a timely manner.

For example, we have asked the Union on several occasions to set aside three consecutive days to try to resolve all remaining open issues and reach a collective bargaining agreement.ĚýĚýIn fact, in May, we offered two specific sets of three consecutive dates in July. The Union declined these offers multiple times and has not even proposed consecutive alternative dates.

Equally troubling, the Union has repeatedly shifted the goal posts.ĚýĚýFrom the outset of bargaining, the Union insisted on an agreement that at least matches the contract provisions agreed to at Weill Cornell and Mount Sinai, two universities where postdocs are also represented by the UAW.

Yet – in attempts to resolve open issues – when the University has proposed language taken nearly verbatim from those agreements, the Union has refused to accept it. The Union, instead, has repeatedly made exorbitant and extreme demands that far exceed what it secured elsewhere.

Two recent examples:

  • Salary.ĚýThe Union is demanding minimum starting salaries of $91,808 – with most postdocs to earn $96,808 or more after 1 year of experience. These numbers far exceed what has been agreed to elsewhere in New York and nationally. The Union’s total economic demands alone would increase the University’s costs by at least $12.5 million in the first year. The Union claimed its proposal mirrors salaries for federal postdoctoral scientists, such as at the NIH. The facts say otherwise: NRSA-supported postdocs currently earn $63,480 annually, and other NIH postdocs start at approximately $67,200 – both well below Rockefeller’s current minimum.ĚýĚýWe told the Union its proposal is exorbitant, and Rockefeller is committed to a competitive economic package – while continuing to provide many NYC-leading benefits. But we cannot meaningfully engage with the Union’s exorbitant proposals, especially as they are not based on factual, accurate or relevant claims.
    Ěý
  • Management Rights.ĚýAt this week’s session, the Union finally responded to the University’s management rights proposal – a response we had awaited since April 2025. A listing of management rights is an essential part of collective bargaining agreements: they permit the University to operate and make core decisions. The University’s proposal was modeled on what the UAW itself agreed to at Caltech in a contract covering postdocs. The Union rejected it, instead offering a less than 1 page proposal that falls far short of what the Union had accepted at Caltech, Weill Cornell, Mount Sinai, and Columbia.

In order to move negotiations forward, the University this week presented a comprehensive proposal addressing all remaining open issues – including salaries and benefits.Ěý ĚýThe comprehensive proposal represents a fair offer, maintaining Rockefeller’s exceptional benefits – including market leading highly affordable on-campus housing – and beginning the salary negotiations at a 1% increase to all postdocs and research associates.ĚýĚýThe University made clear it was willing to go further and negotiate in good faith based on this proposal.

The ball is now in the Union’s court.Ěý ĚýA deal is within reach this summer, but only if the Union lives up to its long-stated claim that it seeks an agreement in line with Weill Cornell and Mount Sinai, tailored to Rockefeller’s circumstances.

A word about the lack of July salary increases for Unit members – reaching an agreement would also permit salary increases to go into effect for postdoctoral researchers and research associates.ĚýĚýSince the Union demanded to bargain over salary increases for Fiscal Year 2027 – effective July 1, 2026 – the University is now required under the labor law to negotiate and reach agreement or impasse (i.e., “deadlocked” status) on these increases before any increases are implemented.

The University remains committed to bargaining in good faith to conclude negotiations promptly with an agreement that supports our research community, while preserving the University’s unique character and culture.ĚýĚýĚýWe hope the Union responds in kind.

Sincerely,

Tom Sakmar and Mike Young