JHU PRO-UAW Initial Bargaining Demands

We, the postdoctoral workers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), present the following contract demands to (1) improve our working conditions; (2) better support JHU’s mission to foster independent and original research; and (3) to protect academic freedom and strengthen our rights as researchers and educators. These demands are based on bargaining surveys completed by a majority of the over 1,350 postdocs at JHU.

These demands reflect our specific needs as postdocs and the vision that we have for our community. These demands take into account, but are not limited to, the historic shifts toward a longer postdoctoral career, the specific challenges of living in Baltimore and JHU’s campuses across the country, and the university’s increasing reliance on early-career academics and postdoctoral workers. 

Achieving these goals will strengthen our rights as postdoctoral associates and therefore enhance our ability to produce the world-class teaching and research conducted at JHU.

1. Establish fair wages

We strive for improved pay for all and commensurate with the value of our work. This includes a significant increase in minimum pay across all departments and schools, so that every postdoc receives a fair wage for their work that also reflects their experience.

2. Guaranteed annual pay increases

We strive for guaranteed experience-based annual salary increases for all postdocs, so that the wages of postdocs reflect their expertise. Further, we aim to have the wages increase each year so that salaries keep up with inflation and guarantee that the living conditions of postdocs do not deteriorate with time.

3. Improve support for parents and caregivers 

We strive for fully paid parental leave, priority access to and significant financial support for childcare on and off campus, after-school programs, tuition benefits, and affordable insurance coverage for dependents.

4. Improve healthcare for all

We strive to reduce the healthcare burden by improving the quality and affordability of medical, mental health, dental, and vision coverage, including dependent coverage, as well as access to healthcare providers affiliated with Johns Hopkins.

5. Establish a fair grievance procedure

We strive to establish a fair process to enforce all aspects of our contract, including timely resolution of instances of workplace harassment and bullying, health and safety problems, and other potential contract violations.

6. Increase support for international researchers

We strive for longer appointment lengths, better visa options, and improved access to information on immigration, resources and benefits (additionally provided in international postdocs’ native languages). We also seek improved support for visa and green card processing, immigration, and stronger protections for researchers holding visas. 

7. Ease the burden for new employees

We strive for a transparent hiring procedure, including timely offer letters that detail funding sources and length of available funding, responsibilities, salary, benefits, access to the resources necessary to perform the work, explanation of current and future visa options, relocation cost coverage, and access to the PRO-UAW contract agreement.

8. Expand job security

We strive for transparency and consistency for all renewal, advancement, and dismissal proceedings, timely reimbursements, clear expectations associated with promotions, raises, and dismissals, improved minimum notice for non-renewals and longer minimum appointment lengths.

9. Improve leave, retirement, and other benefits 

We strive to improve access to leave benefits, including enhanced and guaranteed paid holiday, vacation, medical, family, and other leaves of absence. We further strive for other benefits on par with current JHU workers, including retirement matching, housing support such as Live Near Your Work benefits, transit and parking access, and life and disability insurance.

10. Expand access to professional and career development resources

We strive to increase access to funding and additional resources supporting individual professional and career development opportunities, including courses offered at Johns Hopkins, external courses, expansion of support to postdoctoral associations and committees, including JHPDA and HWPDA, and OPA for career development, and expedited reimbursement for work-related expenses.

11. Recognize and promote union rights and representation

We strive for our union to effectively represent and defend the working rights of every postdoc at JHU, ensuring that our future bargaining contract is enforced. Because of this, we aim for standard provisions on union representational rights and contract enforceability, as well as ensuring that all new employees receive adequate orientation on their rights and benefits under our contract.

12. Protect academic freedom and intellectual property

We strive to have strong academic freedom and intellectual property rights. We strive for postdocs to investigate and discuss issues in their academic fields, teach and publish their findings, and speak freely as individuals living in this country without interference from administrators, boards of trustees, political figures, donors, or other entities. We also strive for clear guidelines on authorship criteria, protection against listing without consent, and retention of intellectual property rights for the discoveries of postdocs.