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Postdoctoral researcher unionization

Postdoctoral researcher unionization is the formation of labor unions by postdoctoral researchers (postdocs). It has been driven by increasing competition for scarce tenure-track faculty positions, leading to more people residing in postdoctoral positions for a longer time. Unions often challenge the low pay, minimal benefits, and lack of job security that are typical of postdoctoral positions. Unionizing is however sometimes seen as creating a culture clash of tension between postdocs and their academic advisors, and some question the suitability of a union for a temporary position. Some universities seek to avoid pushes for unionization by proactively addressing the concerns of postdoctoral researchers.

History
The first stand-alone postdoctoral researcher union was UAW Local 5810 at the University of California system. and is the largest postdoctoral researcher union in North America. Its first contract was ratified in August 2010. This led to establishing a minimum salary with annual increases, the availability of insurance benefits, guaranteed vacation time, paid maternity leave, and just cause protections for discipline or dismissal. Postdocs at Rutgers University unionized in July 2009. In 2018, the 1,100 postdocs at the University of Washington voted to unionize, becoming the second-largest postdoc union in the United States. Also in 2018, postdocs at Columbia University formed the first certified postdoctoral union at a private university in the United States after successfully petitioning the NLRB, and the postdocs at the University of Connecticut formed a union. == See also ==
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