We hope you had a fun Labor Day weekend! Here is your chance to exercise your power in the labor movement. Will you stand with us now and raise the floor for workers everywhere in the US?
Before anything else: our colleagues at NIH need us. Under a recent interagency arrangement between the Pentagon and NIH, nearly $2 billion allocated by lawmakers for infectious disease research might be repurposed for military defense countermeasures. An underfunded NIH means fewer resources for all of us down the line. In that spirit of solidarity, we encourage everyone to email NIH Director Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya (jayanta.bhattacharya@nih.gov) and outline the potential consequences for your laboratory, investigations, or academic trajectory. Your direct perspective can make a powerful impression.
Check out some example notes HERE.
We are making progress in negotiating for a fair contract. We need your help to motivate the administration, who stand resolute in withholding our basic rights as workers. As we continue bargaining, we still have significant 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:
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Sign our Open Letter: Show JHU admin that we stand united in our demand for a great contract. Hundreds of postdocs have already signed! Read and sign the open letter today!
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Sign up to be an observer for a future bargaining session: Engage directly in negotiations! The more of us who attend bargaining sessions, the more the JHU admin understands how committed we all are to winning a great contract. We are in the process of scheduling more sessions through the end of the year.
You can always feel free to reach out to any of us, or your fellow union supportive colleagues, for any help with explanations or grievances that you feel having extra support would help resolve. Your active participation is much appreciated.
In solidarity,
PRO-UAW Organizing Committee