PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF INTERNATIONAL WORKERS
International scholars have always faced particular challenges on account of our status as visa holders. Our precarious position is just one of the many sources of stress we experience as postdoctoral researchers and research associates working at Penn. By forming unions across the country, international scholars have secured many protections and benefits previously unavailable to us, resulting in a safer and more secure environment for our work.
For example, the postdoc union at the University of California won better rights for international postdocs in their contract by ending UC’s practice of denying health benefits for many international postdocs and ensuring equal treatment regardless of immigration status. In addition to new rights and economic improvements that often uniquely benefit international workers, postdocs at Columbia University also won increased job stability. Their contract guarantees that appointments must be held open for at least 60 days if work authorization is delayed, postdocs must receive paid time off for immigration-related proceedings, postdocs must be given greater flexibility to work remotely if unable to return to the U.S., and the union must be able to enforce protections against discrimination and harassment. Postdoctoral Fellows at Mount Sinai will be reimbursed up to $1,250 for visa stamp renewal related travel and fees.
International postdocs and researchers have the same federally guaranteed labor rights as U.S. citizens. This means that signing an authorization card will not jeopardize or delay application for legal permanent residence. Union authorization cards are submitted to the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, which is the third-party federal authority that verifies and counts the cards, and are not released to your supervisor, Penn administration, or other government agencies. Thousands of international postdoctoral researchers and other academic workers have signed union authorization cards around the country. There have been no reported instances of green card applications getting delayed or rejected as a result of signing an authorization card or otherwise participating in a unionization effort.
Nationally, the UAW represents more than 100,000 workers in higher education, a powerful force for effective lobbying, particularly on issues that affect international scholars and researchers. UAW academic workers have used their collective strength to write thousands of letters to elected officials, protest outside of ICE offices and share our immigration stories with the press, host information sessions with immigration attorneys, and submit formal declarations filed in lawsuits to overturn xenophobic policies. Working with members of Congress, UAW academic workers helped win the Optional Practical Training STEM extension, an important path for international student workers to work in the US after completion of their PhD. UAW Local Unions representing postdocs and student workers in Washington State and California also worked with Congressional Representatives Judy Chu and Pramila Jayapal on a Dear Colleague letter demanding that then-Secretary of State Pompeo restore the validity period of Chinese international students’ entry visas from 12 months back to 60 months.
UAW members have a strong history of effective lobbying for the rights of international academic workers. At a time when political attacks against higher education, publicly funded research, and international workers are increasing, it is more important than ever to join hundreds of thousands of other academic workers as we fight to protect our interests and livelihoods.
UAW Local 2865 and UAW 5810 union members with Congresswoman Judy Chu discussing her Dear Colleague Letter in support of Chinese international students at her office in Pasadena, 2018.