POSTDOCS AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATES REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ON FIVE CONTRACT PROPOSALS DURING BARGAINING SESSION #2
Yesterday, postdoctoral workers and research associates met with the Penn administration for a second bargaining session.
During the session:
- Penn admin offered its first two proposals on Management Rights and No Strike/No Lockouts. The latter proposal states that workers will not engage in strike activity and Penn will not lock out workers during the contract term. Postdocs and research associates look forward to reviewing and making any necessary counters to these proposals in future bargaining sessions.
- Penn admin also offered counters to the following seven proposals made by Postdocs and Research Associates during our first bargaining session last December: Employment Files, Health and Safety, Labor Management Meetings, Severability, Training, Travel, and Workspace and Materials.
- After discussion, both sides reached a Tentative Agreement on five proposals: Employment Files, Workers’ Compensation, Labor Management Meetings, Travel, and Severability.
- Postdocs and research associates introduced five new proposals: Union Access and Rights, Grievance and Arbitration, Accommodations, Intellectual Property, and Appointments and Reappointments.
In the session, Penn admin pushed back on sections of the Appointments and Reappointments proposal that would establish multi-year initial appointments for both postdocs and research associates. Securing more stable and predictable appointments is a major issue that drove postdocs and research associates to initially form a union, and was unsurprisingly reflected as a top priority in our bargaining survey. While all postdocs and research associates would benefit greatly from increased appointment lengths, the issue would be particularly impactful for international scholars by easing the burden of repeated (often annual) visa renewals. It is clear from Penn’s response that winning these provisions will require postdocs and research associates to continue building our collective power throughout the bargaining process.
The next bargaining session will take place on Thursday, January 22 from 1:00-5:00pm at The Study at University City, 20 S 33rd St (33rd and Chestnut Street) in Studio 2 [directions].
Click here to RSVP to observe bargaining on 1/22
Bargaining sessions are open to all postdocs and research associates. A key factor to winning a strong contract is for postdocs and research associates to stay informed of the bargaining process and continuously demonstrate our broad and deep support. Attending bargaining helps achieve both of these goals! So RSVP here to attend an upcoming session. You can attend for as little or as long as you would like.
Postdocs and research associates can read the text of all contract proposals and counterproposals using the RAPUP-UAW 2025-2026 Bargaining Tracker that are published on our website and updated after each bargaining session.
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
- The next monthly RAPUP-UAW Happy Hour is scheduled for TODAY, Friday, January 9th from 5-8pm at Two Locals Brewing at 3675 Market Street, Suite 100. Come celebrate the new year (and our first two bargaining sessions)!
In solidarity,
Brian Sullivan, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cardiovascular Medicine