Northwestern University postdoctoral researchers petition school to recognize union

Dozens of organized Northwestern University postdoctoral researchers marched through campus Tuesday, delivering a petition to formally ask school officials to recognize their new labor union.

Northwestern University Postdoc Union would represent about 1,300 scientists and academic research staff, who say they’re fighting for higher wages, better healthcare and workplace protections. Many expressed concerns that their research funding and employment could be abruptly pulled amid an environment of political uncertainty on campus.

“There’s a lot of fear,” said Ahmad Othman, a postdoctoral scholar in the university’s Department of Urology. “People are scared … being a postdoc puts you in a very vulnerable position.”

The union’s petition comes as Northwestern University faces a deluge of financial woes under the Trump administration — including $790 million in frozen federal research funding and a surging endowment tax. Faculty told The Tribune in June that the university was shelling out $10 million a week to continue its research efforts. NUPU-UE was first organized in early 2023 and voted last year to affiliate with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a national labor movement that has organized academic workers across the country.

After marching across campus, NUPU-UE members handed the petition to Jake Julia, vice provost for administration and chief of staff in the Office of the Provost, who met the group outside of the Rebecca Crown Center. Julia watched as several researchers gave speeches, nodding occasionally before returning inside after about 20 minutes.

Many members of the crowd donned white union shirts and raised painted posters as rain trickled down.

“We need to join forces, now more than ever, especially with budget cuts around the corner,” postdoctoral fellow Jennifer Rakotomamonjy said in a speech.

Now that the union has received authorization cards from a majority of members, Northwestern can opt to voluntarily recognize the group and they can begin to negotiate a contract.

If the university rejects NUPU-UE’s petition, the union can go through the National Labor Relations Board to be certified as a collective bargaining unit.

In a statement to The Tribune, a Northwestern spokesperson said that the university is “steadfast in its commitment to support, mentor and train postdoctoral scholars and research associates.”

“The University continues to engage with postdocs and research associates to find sustainable and concrete ways to address their concerns during a period that poses many challenges for our shared community,” the spokesperson said.

To ease its financial challenges, Northwestern announced in June that it was implementing a series of cost-cutting measures. Among them: a faculty and staff hiring freeze, changes to employees’ health insurance program and other non-personnel budget cuts.

For some researchers, that makes the need for a union all the more greater. Several members described being blindsided by the sudden change in health insurance, and said they feared that their labs could be shuttered.

Postdoctoral researchers support Northwestern’s cutting-edge research efforts, from pediatric diseases to artificial intelligence. Most have contracts that are renewed annually and are dependent on funding availability.

Ekta Bhattacharya, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Synthetic Biology, uprooted her life in India to work at Northwestern. The position was “a dream come true,” she said, but she’s constantly worried she’ll lose her job amid the funding cuts.

“The sad part is, I don’t know in the next six months if my contract will be renewed or not,” Bhattacharya told the crowd. “That’s a huge concern for me.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has continued his crackdown on foreign student visas, stoking fear across the university’s international community. About 70% of NUPU-UE members are international, according to the union. Many of their visas are contingent on their employment.

“Given the climate of the country right now, they’re very concerned about their visas and immigration status,” Othman said. “I think it’s very important that the university offers some protection for these people.”

NUPU-UE members said they requested a response from the university by Monday.

“What we’re hoping for is this to come to a mutually beneficial outcome, rather than them stalling,” Othman said.