The first ever postdoc union at a private US university has been formed

By Rebecca Trager2020-09-11T13:30:00

A photo of students outside the library of Columbia University

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1700 postdoc researchers at Columbia University join to secure higher pay, protection for harassment victims and parental leave

Around 1700 postdocs at Columbia University in New York City have formed a union – the first of its kind at a private US university – through the United Auto Workers (UAW), one of the largest unions in North America. Nicholas Tay, a chemistry postdoc at Columbia who was part of the effort to build support for the union, hopes this is just a first step on the road to securing greater rights for postdocs in the US and beyond.