About 1,300 postdoctoral employees are eligible to cast a ballot deciding whether to join UNITE HERE Local 33.
Postdoctoral workers at Yale University will vote this week on whether to join a union.
About 1,300 postdocs are eligible to cast a ballot deciding whether to join UNITE HERE Local 33, which currently represents Yale graduate student workers.
Postdoctoral associates and fellows usually have a Ph.D., and are employed in research positions in the university.
Local 33 was formed in 2022 and ratified a contract with Yale the following year, after several decades of organizing.
The postdoctoral workers election is being overseen by the American Arbitration Association.
A ‘yes’ vote would put the university in line with several other Ivy League institutions including Princeton, Brown, UPenn and Harvard where postdoctoral employees are unionized.
UNITE HERE also represents Yale’s clerical, maintenance and technical staff through Locals 34 and 35. Those workers are currently in contract negotiations with the university, as their current deal ends in January 2027.
During a demonstration in the city last week, workers demanded higher wages, no hikes in healthcare costs, and protections against automation of positions.
