Yale Postdocs, Allies Rally for Union Recognition

 

NEW HAVEN, CT — Hundreds of Yale Postdoctoral Scholars, joined by Local 33, 34, and 35 union members, students, and community allies, rallied before Thanksgiving to call on Yale University to immediately address the growing job insecurity and lack of vital workplace protections facing its Postdoctoral Scholars.

A majority of Yale postdocs have signed union cards and union leaders emphasized the need for Yale commit to a fair and neutral process for union recognition. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut State Senate President Martin Looney, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, and President of the New Haven Board of Alders Tyisha Walker-Myers voiced support for the organizing campaign.  

 

The demonstration, which closed College Street near Yale’s Cross Campus, highlighted the high stakes of postdoctoral research at Yale, citing issues of job precarity, high cost of living, and the need for basic workplace rights. 

 

Claire Laxton, a postdoc in Immunobiology, contrasted Yale’s wealth with the job insecurity she and her coworkers face: "Just a few weeks ago, Yale announced its endowment has grown to over 44 billion dollars. However, instead of using its massive wealth to bridge funding gaps and support all workers during this time, with skyrocketing living costs and federal funding cuts, postdocs are losing their jobs, as if we are disposable. But… We are not disposable!” 

 

Postdoctoral Scholars spoke powerfully about the critical need for workplace protections to provide stability against the backdrop of shifting federal funding and rising costs.  

 

The rally underscored the current two-tiered system on campus, where graduate workers represented by Local 33 have contract protections that postdocs who often work side-by-side with them, lack. 

 

The rally closed with a commitment from all academic workers to stand together and insist that the University value their essential labor. 

 

Adam Waters, President of Local 33, summarized the unified demands: “Just like grad workers, postdocs deserve health and safety protections, job security, fair treatment language, and a grievance procedure to deal with workplace issues. As postdocs and grad workers, we are also standing together in this moment to push back against unprecedented attacks on universities, on science, and on truth.”