Topline Summary:
On Wednesday, our elected Bargaining Committee met with the JHU admin for the 13th time.We introduced one of our two new Committee members, Austin Ramsey, and were joined by three postdocs as observers. We presented the JHU admin with four counterproposals, and they gave us one. While explaining our Appointment and Reappointment counter, the JHU admin became terse and dismissive after we described the negative consequences that short-term appointments have on our lives, and how teaching responsibilities deserve additional compensation. When we tried asking questions about the counter the JHU admin presented on Health and Safety, their responses were curt and non-descriptive, and the session ended without much progress being made due to the JHU admin’s animosity. You can read all of the counters on our Bargaining Tracker. We encourage any interested postdocs to be an observer at our next session on Monday, August 17th at 10am in MRB G01 on the East Baltimore campus, where we will meet with the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) and invite postdoc testimony.
Our Counter-Proposals:
We began the session by presenting the JHU admin with four counterproposals: Bargaining Unit Information; Workload; Employment Records; and Appointment and Reappointment. In Bargaining Unit Information, we explained our rationale for receiving aggregated data regularly to determine if and when discrimination occurs, and we clarified what information the University keeps a record of as it relates to dependents on the medical plan. We maintained in Workload that the average work week is 37.5 hours, per JHU policy, and we are pushing for virtual options to be offered as needed for all mandatory meetings. We also re-asserted a section on exceptions to full-time appointments to accommodate postdoc needs. We then re-introduced our article on Employment Records, which the JHU admin had rejected entirely, but we added a grace period for the University to implement better record-keeping practices. This article establishes the right to access and request to modify your own records and reinforces confidentiality.
As we presented our counter on Appointment and Reappointment, we emphasized the precarious nature of 1-year appointments without guaranteed renewal, which is very common for postdoc positions at Hopkins. We heard testimony from two observers and a Committee member on facing visa complications due to a 1-year contract, draining savings on moving costs without a guarantee of long-term employment, and struggling to publish or prepare for a faculty position in only one year. We are asking for a minimum initial appointment of three years, although we detailed reasonable exceptions, and the postdoc may leave at any time. We are also asking that renewal be subject to just cause when funding allows, in order to provide more reliable employment for postdocs. We then discussed teaching responsibilities for postdocs; current postdoc teaching fellowships are prorated for nine months and paid less than a graduate student, so we are asserting that teaching responsibilities should be compensated in addition to the regular salary.
There was a good deal of tension in the air, as the JHU admin disengaged from discussion after we informed them that their hiring practices can be detrimental to postdocs and we deserve better compensation for teaching responsibilities. The conversation was particularly hindered when the JHU admin’s head legal representative cut off a question from a member of the admin’s team, which may otherwise have led to a productive conversation. We were left disappointed by the irritation we were met with, as it resulted in less progress coming out of this session.
JHU Admin’s Counter-Proposals:
After we presented our counterproposals, the JHU admin gave us one counter: Health and Safety. The JHU admin predominantly maintained their exact same prior edits without additional explanation, seeking in several sections to lower requirements for the University to the bare minimum required by law. After we asked a few clarifying questions, the flat responses and icy attitude of the JHU admin at this point deterred further discussion on this article. We hope to return to a more productive bargaining session at our next session on Monday, August 17th.
What can you do today to support winning a great first contract?
We continue to make progress, but as you can see from looking at the Bargaining Tracker, we still have work to do that will take all of our participation to win the improvements we’ve been fighting for here at JHU. Doing the following will help tremendously in our collective effort:
- Sign our Open Letter: Supportive postdocs across JHU are going around to gather signatures that show the JHU admin that we stand united in our aspirations to win a great contract, and that we need it now. Read and sign the open letter today!
- Observe our next bargaining session on Monday, August 17th: Members of JHU’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) will be attending our bargaining session on Monday, 8/17 in the Miller Research Building (MRB), Room #G01 on the East Baltimore Medical Campus. We’re calling on anyone who has gone through the OIE investigatory process to resolve an issue to observe this session to ensure our Bargaining Committee can accurately confirm or question the information they provide, and for our members to provide testimony around their experiences with OIE to show that we need improved accountability and rights in handling cases around discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and bullying. If you have experienced this, we invite you to attend and share more about this at our session on 8/17, or anonymously share any details you’re willing to provide with our Bargaining Committee using this form linked here.
Please reach out to us at this email or individually if you have any questions or thoughts about our bargaining process.
In solidarity,
Andrew Chelius, Health, Behavior, and Society
Austin Ramsey, Cell Biology
Ben Seicol, Otolaryngology/ Head & Neck Surgery
Cat LaCourse, Pediatrics
Jaime Eugenin von Bernhardi, Neuroscience
Saakshi Dulani, Physics & Astronomy, Philosophy
Tianyu Cao, Pathology
PRO-UAW Bargaining Committee