To: All Yale faculty and staff who supervise postdocs
Cc: University Cabinet, President’s office, Provost’s office, Deans’ offices
[Summary: In a postdoctoral union election held earlier this week, a majority of voters cast ballots in favor of union representation. The university will now recognize Local 33 as the exclusive bargaining representative for eligible postdocs and enter into negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.]
Dear Colleagues,
On Wednesday, April 29, and Thursday, April 30, eligible postdocs voted by secret ballot on the question of union representation. As we shared last month, the election was held on campus and facilitated by the American Arbitration Association (AAA).
Election results
Last night, April 30, AAA counted and certified the election results. Out of the 1386 Yale-employed postdoctoral associates and postdoctoral research fellows eligible to vote, a total of 890 votes were counted. 859 ballots were cast in favor of unionization, representing 96.5 percent of the vote. These results will establish a postdoctoral bargaining unit at Yale, which will include all current and future postdocs with the academic rank of postdoctoral associate or postdoctoral fellow who are employed by Yale. Clinical fellows and associates employed by Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and/or Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) will be excluded from the union.
Contract negotiation
With the election results now verified by AAA, the university will recognize Local 33–UNITE HERE as the exclusive bargaining representative for eligible postdocs and enter into good-faith negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement. The agreement will be based in part on the framework that Yale and the union previously agreed to, which includes commitments that are important to the university’s research and educational mission.
While contract negotiations often take a year or longer, Yale aims to reach an initial postdoc contract in under a year. We are fortunate that this process will benefit from the strong relationship already in place between the university and Local 33.
As a reminder, as is customary during contract negotiation, changes to the terms and conditions of postdoctoral employment, such as minimum compensation and benefits, will be paused until a union contract is ratified.
Some of you may have questions about how unionization impacts postdocs and the Yale community. Please refer to these FAQs, which will continue to be updated as needed, and if your question is not addressed, contact the Labor Relations team. Once a contract is reached, the university will provide faculty and supervisors with additional guidance and resources.
As the negotiation process takes place, please continue to refer to these guidelines for discussing unionization. We appreciate your contributions to a culture of respect and tolerance for differing viewpoints, and your continued support of Yale’s postdocs in their academic training.
Sincerely,
Scott Strobel
Provost
Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Lynn Cooley
Vice Provost for Postdoctoral Affairs
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
C. N. H. Long Professor of Genetics and Professor of Cell Biology and of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology