Response to USC

What USC says

Helpful information that USC leaves out

We have received written notice from the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) that the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the “United Auto Workers” or UAW, has filed a petition seeking to represent a bargaining unit comprising almost all of USC’s postdoctoral scholars, including Research Associates, Teaching Fellows, and Fellowship Trainees (but not Visiting Scholars). Those postdocs will have the opportunity to decide, in a secret ballot election on June 20th and 21st, whether or not they want the United Auto Workers to represent them.

While it’s true that the NLRB provided official notice of the election, a lot happened before that. On May 9, delegations of USC postdocs at both the University Park Campus and the Health Sciences Campus delivered letters to USC announcing that a majority of postdocs signed cards in support of forming a union and asked for the university to meet with us to discuss a fair and free election process. We filed our cards with the National Labor Relations Board that afternoon and began meeting with USC to reach an agreement about who could vote and when the election would be. On May 24, URFU-UAW and USC signed an election agreement for postdoctoral scholars, including Research Associates, Teaching Fellows, and Fellowship Trainees, to vote in an election on June 20th and 21st.

Unions can be valuable for many, and USC has good relations with several unions representing different types of employees. However, in the postdoctoral context where postdocs receive advanced training through mentoring relationships with USC faculty, bringing in a third party would unnecessarily limit those relationships and limit the University’s ability to address individual needs and field specific issues. USC does not believe that representation by the United Auto Workers is in the best interest of USC’s postdoctoral scholars.

We - postdoctoral scholars - are forming URFU-UAW in order to bargain collectively with USC. We join 3000 graduate student workers and 250 adjunct faculty who have already formed unions at USC. Postdocs across the country have formed unions over the last two decades and continue to have productive relationships with their mentors. By forming a union, we will have a stronger collective voice to advocate for science research funding, fair visa and immigration policies, and better working conditions.

We respect the right to choose whether to be represented by a union, and it is our responsibility to make sure that those who are eligible to vote have the information they need to make an informed choice. We urge postdoctoral scholars to learn as much as they can about unionization, ask questions, and express opinions as they consider their options before voting later this month.

We have had hundreds of conversations with colleagues, hosted town halls, and more to discuss and learn about forming a union. We encourage all postdocs to visit our website to make an informed decision.

USC has raised postdoc scholars’ minimum salaries by 23.4% over the past 5 years -- from $54,080 to $66,737 – and some units pay more (the Keck School minimum is $70,000 and at the Price School it is $85,000). In addition, postdocs enjoy a tuition benefit worth over $45,000 over two years (untaxed).

With the current rate of inflation, many postdocs have effectively received a pay cut over that time period, and housing costs have skyrocketed. At Mt. Sinai, under the recently ratified union contract a typical postdoc saw their salary increase 24% to $72,500, and then increase again to $73,588 on July 1, 2024 and to $74,692 on July 1, 2025 to keep up with cost-of-living, as well as receive a $1500 relocation benefit. At Columbia University, where postdocs are also unionized, the minimum salary is $70,000 with 3% guaranteed year-over-year raises.

For comparison, under the new UC-UAW postdoc agreement this year’s UC minimum is $64,480. The USC raises have been achieved every year without labor strife, while the UAW at UC has a contentious relationship that led last year to a six-week strike of graduate student workers, taking them away from working in labs and teaching, as part of contract negotiations.

UC postdocs won the first standalone postdoc union contract in 2010 and have helped lead the national wave of organizing that has helped raise postdoc salaries everywhere. In 2022, 68.5% (4674) of Postdocs at UC voted to authorize a strike by 97.82% because UC was bargaining in bad faith. As a result, postdoc salaries are guaranteed to increase 31% over three years (2023-2026). In comparison, USC has raised the postdoc salary for some postdocs 23.4% in the last five years entirely at their discretion, and there is no guarantee they will continue to do so in the future. At USC, graduate student workers voted to authorize a strike, bringing the USC administration back to the table and reaching an agreement on paid parental leave, protections against harassment and discrimination, and more that set a new standard for graduate student workers at private institutions nationwide.

USC provides healthcare benefits to postdocs and their family members, including dental, vision, and mental health services. Those who already have benefits (through a spouse or other health plan) may waive healthcare benefits with verification of alternate coverage.

In our preliminary bargaining priorities survey, 76% of postdoc respondents indicated that guaranteeing healthcare benefits was a high priority for them. Additionally, we have had hundreds of conversations with postdocs who have reported high costs for dependent health care. The USC family PPO plan is $416/month. At UCLA, postdocs have negotiated a family HMO plan that costs $40/month and a family PPO plan that costs $86.55/month through their union.

USC treats domestic and international postdoctoral scholars equally in terms of tuition, fees and access to resources. Visa services and support for international postdocs have been expanded.

International scholars have always faced challenges and precarity on account of our status as visa holders. 69% of postdocs respondents in our preliminary bargaining priorities survey indicated that enhanced support for international scholars was important to them. By forming a union, international researchers can negotiate for additional protections. Through their contracts, for example, Columbia University Postdocs won increased job stability by guaranteeing that appointments must be held open for at least 60 days if work authorization is delayed, paid time off for immigration-related proceedings, greater ability to work remotely if unable to return to the US, and enforceable protections against discrimination and harassment. UC Postdocs have ensured equal treatment regardless of immigration status and longer initial appointments.

Postdoc complaints are promptly dealt with. A grievance process protects the rights of postdocs, with multiple levels of review at the academic unit (Deans) and university levels (Provost), under policies that are published. Bullying, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation against postdocs are strictly prohibited.

Current processes for bullying, harassment, discrimination and retaliation are controlled entirely by USC. While bullying, harassment, discrimination and retaliation are strictly prohibited, there is no way to enforce those policies. With a union, we can bargain for an enforceable independent grievance process with clear timelines. At Columbia and Sinai, for example, a neutral, third party makes the final decision about remedies for bullying and discrimination.

All this is part of our commitment to excellence in postdoctoral education and professionalization. Now that contract negotiations have been completed at other comparable university systems, it is clear USC is already providing our postdoctoral scholars with salaries and benefits that are highly competitive.

To learn more about what postdocs at other institutions have won through their unions, check out union contracts from other institutions on our website.

One advantage of being a postdoc at USC is that we are flexible and can respond to individual needs and situations directly through academic units and/or the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Currently, you speak for yourselves whenever you like on whatever you like, without the need for intermediaries or payments for union dues as a percentage of your compensation.

With collective bargaining, we – as postdocs – will have the power to negotiate over working conditions with USC administrators as equals. Membership dues are important because they provide the resources necessary for effective representation. As part of the UAW, we would not pay dues until we have gone through the bargaining process and voted democratically to approve our first contract. Dues are critical for providing us with independent resources that are not controlled by the University. UAW membership dues are currently 1.44% of gross monthly income and can only be increased by membership action (the membership in a few local unions, for example, have voted to increase dues above 1.44% to have more resources).

As is our current practice for USC’s postdocs, we wish to continue direct, collegial, and cooperative relationships with each postdoctoral scholar. Unions represent workers collectively, which would prevent individual postdocs from engaging with the university directly on issues related to their terms or conditions of work. Under a union, our ability to work with postdocs on individual issues would be prohibited as "direct dealing."

Currently, postdocs have to individually negotiate for higher salaries, address discrimination and harassment, and navigate the visa and work authorization system. By forming a union, we - USC postdocs - will have a stronger collective voice to advocate for changes through bargaining a union contract. Postdocs will continue to work directly with their PIs and advisors to make essential contributions to the world-class research and teaching conducted at USC.

We respect the opinions of those who believe that the United Auto Workers should be postdoc scholars’ exclusive bargaining representative, just as we respect the opinions of those who disagree. The Office of Postdoctoral Scholars will keep lines of communication open. We remain committed to working collaboratively on the issues that are important to you and recognize the important contributions you make to the University’s teaching and research missions.

To make an informed decision about forming a union, visit our website.

What are unions? 

Unions are third-party organizations that represent employees in negotiations with their employer concerning the terms and conditions of employment.  Unions are financed by initiation fees, monthly dues, or agency fees withheld from the employees’ paychecks as a condition of employment.

Postdocs reached out to UAW last summer to help us successfully form USC Researchers and Fellows United - UAW, the union for USC postdocs. We - USC postdocs - are the union. 

Union dues in UAW are determined democratically. They are currently 1.44% of gross pay and only go into effect after we negotiate and vote to ratify a union contract. In all other cases, the value of wage and benefit increases that come with forming a union far exceeds the cost of union dues. Dues are how workers, like us, pool resources to be able to successfully negotiate with multi-billion dollar employers, like USC.

It will also be up to us, as postdocs, to decide what kind of union security arrangement we want to negotiate for. Many unions, like the USC graduate student worker union, have a provision in their contract that generally requires all employees to pay dues or a comparable fee. Any such union security arrangement would be part of the contract that postdocs would vote on ratifying.

What happens if the UAW – i.e., the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (better known as the United Auto Workers) – win the election?  

The election is decided by a majority of eligible votes cast, even if only a fraction of USC’s postdoc population actually vote.  If the UAW wins, USC postdocs will be represented by the union, and the University and the UAW begin a process known as “collective bargaining” with the goal of seeking agreement on a contract defining the terms and conditions of employment.

Postdocs will win our union by having a strong yes vote on June 20 and 21. It is critically important that there is high voter turnout. A strong “yes” vote will demonstrate to USC that postdocs support being able to collectively bargain for improvements like better compensation, improved benefits, and job security.

What is collective bargaining?

Collective bargaining is a process by which a union and an employer negotiate the terms and conditions of employment, such as pay and benefits, for all members in the bargaining unit.  The union has the exclusive authority to bargain on behalf of all bargaining unit members, collectively, for pay, terms of appointment, benefits and other “working conditions.”   Once this process begins, the University will be prohibited from directly negotiating terms and conditions of employment with individual members of the unit.

Currently, USC has complete, unilateral control over all of our working conditions and we have no power to bargain. With a union, we engage in a democratic process to bargain an enforceable union contract with USC as equals.

During this process, USC cannot change working conditions without the agreement of USC postdocs. This means that USC cannot cut our benefits or wages unless we agree.

Who would actually negotiate a contract?

Union representatives (typically, paid union employees) work together with a small subset of bargaining unit members (postdocs), who are selected by the union, to sit at the bargaining table and negotiate on behalf of all unit members.

We elect our bargaining team, made up of postdocs, and they are empowered to make decisions and proposals at the bargaining table. All postdocs will have the opportunity to participate in bargaining - including by providing feedback on proposals and strategy. Experienced negotiators, who have helped other academic employees win union contracts, will also help us at the bargaining table. For any contract to take effect, postdocs must vote to ratify it.

How does collective bargaining take place?

Collective bargaining is typically conducted in a series of meetings at which representatives of both the union and the University exchange written proposals for a union contract.  Union negotiations can be long and complex and can take months and sometimes years to reach an overall agreement.  During this time, the parties are to engage in good faith negotiations over the terms and conditions of employment.  We cannot predict how long negotiations will take. Also, during this time, employers are prohibited from making any changes to wages or benefits until the contract is negotiated and approved.  As a result, planned salary increases would be delayed until after a contract is reached.

Postdocs will fill out bargaining surveys to articulate priorities for a contract. We also elect representatives, fellow postdocs, to a bargaining committee. Guided by the feedback in the bargaining surveys, the elected committee develops bargaining goals that we vote to approve, before sitting down with the administration and negotiating contract proposals. Once a tentative agreement is reached, postdocs must vote to accept or reject the contract before it goes into effect.

At other major research institutions where postdocs have formed unions, researchers have been able to negotiate significant improvements despite facing opposition from their employers. Postdocs at Columbia University, Mount Sinai, University of Connecticut, University of Washington, and University of California negotiated for 16 months, 15 months, 13 months, 13 months, and 18 months respectively. But it is also possible to negotiate much more quickly. For example, GSWOC-UAW, the USC graduate student worker union, reached an agreement with USC and ratified their contract in 8 months.

Our working conditions will not change automatically if we vote to form a union. However, it is highly misleading for USC to claim that no immediate changes can be made. USC will no longer determine our working conditions unilaterally, but nothing prevents them from negotiating changes to our working conditions with us before a final contract is reached. For example, at Mount Sinai the administration proposed a 3% across the board increase that was intended to go into effect while negotiations continued over other topics, including more significant increases upon ratification. After making some minor modifications, the union’s bargaining committee agreed, and the raise went into effect.

When would a new contract become effective?

A union contract does not become effective until bargaining is complete and there is final agreement on all provisions by both sides.  Sometimes that is years after the union petition is filed with the NLRB and after some of the bargaining unit members who voted in favor of the union have left the university.  Sometimes, even after a great deal of good faith negotiating, a contract is not reached at all.  If a contract is negotiated and agreed upon by both sides, the contract is fixed in place, usually for years at a time, and must be adhered to even though conditions may change.

The contract becomes effective when postdocs approve it through a majority vote. This takes place after our elected bargaining representatives tentatively agree on the entire agreement with USC administration. 

Once the contract is in place, USC would not be able to unilaterally change it. Any changes would have to be agreed to by unionized postdocs. If conditions change, postdocs could bargain with USC over those changes. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, UC academic workers bargained with their university and won access to personal protective equipment, remote work options, and additional financial support for childcare expenses.

What happens if the UAW and the University are unable to reach agreement?

Any contract requires the agreement of both sides.  Sometimes, after good faith bargaining, no agreement can be reached.  If that occurs, the university may make its final proposal, often called a “last, best and final offer.”  In response, the union may ask its members to vote on the proposal.  If the bargaining unit rejects the offer, there is no agreement, and the parties are at what is typically called an “impasse.”  When there is a good faith impasse, the university may unilaterally implement its last, best and final offer and the parties may continue to bargain in an effort to reach agreement.

The more postdocs who participate in our union, the more power we will have to reach a fair agreement in a timely manner. USC could choose to bargain quickly with postdocs by setting numerous bargaining dates and engaging in good faith bargaining. With a serious commitment to reach a fair agreement by the administration, there is no reason why bargaining should take a long time. For example, 4,000 student employees at the University of Washington negotiated their first contract in just under two months.

Thousands of graduate student workers at USC have already bargained a union contract with the USC administration and are also represented by UAW. Adjunct faculty in the School of Cinematic Arts are currently in the process of bargaining as well and have already reached several tentative agreements in only a few months.

How would unionization impact my relationship with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs or my program/department?

It is difficult to say.  USC has long encouraged postdocs to share their concerns directly with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) and many postdocs take advantage of this unique resource and opportunity.  While OPA will continue to be a resource for all USC postdocs, should UAW be voted in, OPA will no longer be able to examine the needs of individual postdocs to provide solutions that work best for each circumstance and individual.  Unions tend to propose more rigid one-size-fits-all mandates, irrespective of the different needs and circumstances of individual postdocs, the significant differences that exist between academic fields and programs, and the differences between various grants and funding sources.

By coming together to form a union, we gain the right to collectively bargain a contract which is legally binding, with improvements to what we would like to see change. While postdocs may address concerns with the Office of Postdoctoral affairs, the office is currently free to ignore our recommendations. A contract ensures rights and benefits, and does not limit our ability to work directly with our departments on an individual basis. In fact, many chairs and deans appreciate having collective bargaining agreements because it enables RTPC faculty to negotiate directly with the central administration over issues that distract from their work, including multi-year appointments, health insurance, childcare benefits, and other topics that can be addressed in collective bargaining. Thousands of postdocs across the country have formed unions and continue to have productive relationships with their departments.

What childcare benefits are available for postdocs?

USC offers childcare programs at both UPC and HSC, in centers operated by Bright Horizons. Currently, postdocs are eligible for on-site childcare centers for children (ages 6 weeks through 5 years).  Just this year, it was brought to the attention of the Postdoc Office that postdocs were not eligible for back-up dependent care (ages 1-mo to 18-years and elder care). In direct response to postdocs, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs advocated successfully to ensure postdocs would be eligible for back-up dependent care.

By forming a union, postdocs can bargain for better childcare benefits that create a more supportive work environment for parents and caregivers. We can negotiate for changes we want to see and win them in a legally binding contract, rather than depending on the good will of administrators. In our preliminary bargaining priorities survey, 71% of postdoc respondents indicated that increasing family-friendly policies was a top priority for them. In the course of hundreds of conversations, many postdocs have voiced concerns about long wait lists for USC’s on-site childcare centers and the high cost of dependent healthcare.

If the UAW wins, can I still agree with my supervisor on special terms to meet my personal situation?

No. If the union is voted in, postdocs will lose the flexibility to address their personal situations directly with their supervisor, their departments, their School’s administration, or the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. All terms and conditions of employment would have to be negotiated with the union and any discussions regarding individual or unique situations would be prohibited as “direct dealing.”

No postdocs with the UAW have negotiated a contract that removes individuals’ ability to work directly with their supervisor, department, or school to address their individual needs. Because we as postdocs will make our own decisions about our contract it is hard to imagine we would negotiate or vote to approve such a contract. 

Instead, UAW academic contracts have established minimum rights on different aspects of researcher working conditions, while preserving the ability of PIs and postdocs to agree on terms above those minimums. At Mount Sinai, for example, postdocs negotiated pay scales that guarantee minimum salaries but stipulate that the institution may pay more. 

The only thing that changes once we have a union is that USC must maintain our current standards or, if they want to make changes, negotiate with us as equals.

If UAW wins the election, how will this impact current pay and benefits for those who will be represented by the union?

There is no way to know for certain how pay and benefits may be impacted.  As a result of good faith bargaining, postdoc compensation and benefits could improve, diminish, or stay the same.

Academic employees in the UAW have a strong track record of winning higher wages, better benefits, and workplace protections (for example, at Mt. Sinai and Columbia). How long negotiations take, and what gains we are able to achieve, will largely depend on our collective power and participation. Postdocs at other Universities have succeeded, and there is no reason to believe that we cannot succeed at USC as well.

What does the union want in return for its efforts?

The UAW expects to be paid. In bargaining, the UAW would undoubtedly demand a “union security” clause requiring postdocs to pay dues and initiation fees or agency fees as a condition of employment.  Typically, unions will demand that these fees are deducted automatically from paychecks by the university and sent directly to the union.

By forming our union, URFU-UAW, we as postdocs want to negotiate improvements to our working conditions. We are joining the over 140,000 academic workers in UAW who have secured strong contracts in recent years.

Union dues in UAW are determined democratically. They are currently 1.44% of gross pay and only go into effect after we negotiate and vote to ratify a union contract. In all other cases, the value of wage and benefit increases far exceeds the cost of union dues for all faculty. Dues are how workers, like us, pool resources to be able to successfully negotiate with multi-billion dollar employers, like USC.

It will also be up to us, as postdocs, to decide what kind of union security arrangement we want to negotiate for. Many unions, like the USC graduate student worker union, have a provision in their contract that generally requires all employees to pay dues or a comparable fee. Any such union security arrangement would be part of the contract that postdocs would vote on ratifying.

What if UAW wins the election but USC postdocs later decide they no longer want to be collectively represented by UAW?

Once a union is voted in to represent a bargaining unit, it may stay in place indefinitely.  The process of ending representation by a union, called “decertification,” is subject to a set of legal rules and can be difficult to successfully accomplish.  NLRB statistics show that, in the past five years, most attempts at decertification across the US have been unsuccessful. If the UAW is voted in, it cannot be decertified for a minimum of one year. During that one-year period, if the union and USC agree on a final agreement, that agreement would serve as a bar to any attempt to decertify the union for up to an additional three years.  While difficult to accomplish, other USC employees have been successful in decertifying their union representation after years of dissatisfaction.

There is no shortage of right-wing organizations across the US that work to decertify labor unions. Nonetheless, workers choosing to decertify is rare and unions have high levels of support. No group of academic employees who joined UAW has ever decertified. The overwhelming consensus is that by unionizing, academic employees have more rights and more power to democratically seek improved working conditions.