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Over the last two days of bargaining on Oct. 14-15, major progress has been made towards winning more rights for Postdocs and Graduate Student Workers (GSWs). But there is still no new money on the table—Caltech administration has not responded to our initial proposals on wages or healthcare and is putting visa fee reimbursement for international workers on hold with other economics. No new tentative agreements have been reached.
Major Progress on Parental Leave
Wanting minimal changes to existing institute policy, Caltech administration insisted that Postdocs would not be allowed to use parental leave within their first year of employment. Despite their resistance, our bargaining teams held their ground, and the most recent counter-proposal opens parental leave to all Postdocs. This is a major win for equity in the workplace! Caltech administration has also agreed to industry-leading bonding and pregnancy leave combined: 16 weeks for Postdocs and 14 weeks for GSWs! However, we still need to fight to ensure the broadest possible access to other types of leave such as medical leave.
Still Fighting for Immigrant and International Workers
Caltech administration finally sent their first counteroffer on Support for Immigrant and International Workers, beginning negotiations nearly 5 months after our first proposal.
The good news: more rights!
- Industry-leading rehiring protections: if an international Postdoc or GSW has trouble maintaining their visa status for reasons that are not violations of the law or institute policy, Caltech administration will hold the job position for the worker for up to 90 days. If the worker obtains the appropriate immigration status within that time frame, they will be reinstated.
- In the event of a Social Security no-match letter, Caltech administration agrees to work with the international scholar in good faith to resolve the discrepancy, rather than starting with disciplinary action.
The disappointing news: no new money.
- Caltech administration’s proposal sidesteps our provision granting reimbursement of visa fees. These are an unjust financial burden on the international scholar population.
- They insist that unpaid leave is sufficient for international workers who need to take time off for visa renewal.
- They refuse to extend H1-B visa sponsorship for all Postdocs who have served at least one year at Caltech. H1-B visas offer more employment stability than J-1 visas, something that some postdocs receive but not the majority.
Movement Towards Strong Contract Enforcement
Recognition: This article defines who the contract applies to, also known as the “bargaining unit”. Regardless of fellowship status, all GSWs are included in our bargaining unit. This is the most expansive definition for GSWs at a private institution. All Postdocs employed by Caltech are in our bargaining unit as well. Union membership does not limit who is protected under our contract.
Union Security: Postdocs and GSWs are seeking an industry-standard agency shop, in which nobody is required to become a member of the union, but everyone is required to pay agency fees to ensure that we have the power to enforce our contract. With an agency shop, Postdocs and GSWs will have the independent resources necessary to enforce our contract. Read more about why an agency shop matters from this summer’s We Keep Us Safe page.
What’s left?
We are still waiting for Caltech administration to respond to Postdocs and GSWs proposals for increased wages and lower healthcare costs. With the high cost of living in Los Angeles County, we cannot afford to wait; we call on the administration to move with us towards economic justice.
Our next bargaining dates are on the 28th and 29th; RSVP here. We hope to finally receive a counterproposal on economic issues and reach an agreement on international scholar protections. Postdocs and GSWs deserve a ratified, enforceable contract this year, with all of the new rights and protections we’ve fought for and won thus far.
In solidarity,
Soham Bhattacharya
Postdoctoral research associate, Physics
Division of PMA
If you would like to schedule a one-on-one with a coworker to learn more, please get in touch at organize@cgpu.org. You can track bargaining progress and read copies of all Tentative Agreements on the bargaining portal.