Meet YOUR Bargaining Committee!

My name is Julia Fadjukov, and I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Opthamology. Postdoctoral fellows and research associates are essential members of the Northwestern research community. Positioned between graduate workers and faculty, we have the opportunity to devote ourselves fully to discovery and scientific growth, but we also face unique challenges. As an international scholar, I am especially committed to advocating for fair and supportive working conditions for all postdocs. Equality is a core value for me, and I believe that diverse perspectives make research stronger. I also care deeply about protecting academic freedom, which allows scientists to follow their curiosity and pursue new ideas. Many of our colleagues face additional pressures, including visa renewals while balancing publishing, securing funding, and building their careers. I joined the bargaining committee to help ensure that decisions about staying in or leaving academia are shaped by our professional goals and passions, not by structural barriers or inequitable conditions.

I am dedicated to securing a contract that removes the structural barriers holding us back. We need to address the full range of challenges affecting our professional lives – from fixing the rigid policies that impact international scholars to reversing the eroding support for childcare that makes it impossible for many parents to make ends meet. I am committed to fighting for a comprehensive agreement that guarantees professional development, fair pay, equal opportunity, and dignity for the entire postdoc community. 

I have the pleasure of serving on the first bargaining committee representing postdoctoral fellows and research associates at Northwestern University. I am excited to work with my peers as we aim to improve working conditions for ourselves and future postdocs and RAs at Northwestern. Through collective action, I will focus on guaranteeing a fair contract that strengthens job security, protects international workers, and provides just compensation for our work. The university works because we work, and we deserve a contract that reflects our contributions.

My name is Jennifer Rakotomamonjy, and I’m a Research Associate in the Department of Neuroscience. Recent events at Northwestern University, across the country, and worldwide made one thing clear: we can’t rely on our leadership or elected officials to be truthful or do the right thing in times of crisis, especially those that seem manufactured. It falls on us to safeguard our rights, protect ourselves, and ensure we are treated fairly. I am fully committed to take on this vital fight with you all. Together, we can forge a better future for ourselves and for the workers who will follow in our footsteps. We are more than them. United, we can and will win this.

I am honored to be serving as a member of the bargaining committee for such a vibrant community of postdocs and research associates at Northwestern University. We are researchers at a world-class institution, and our work makes Northwestern University run. Now is the time to fight for our core demands, including salaries that keep up with the cost of living, job security, support for international workers, and professional development. I look forward to negotiating with the University administration to secure a strong first contract for my co-workers! 

I am honored to work alongside my colleagues to build a better and healthier work environment. It is time for a fair contract that truly reflects our valuable contributions to science and society. I am committed to fighting for fair pay that matches our expertise, respectful working conditions where everyone is heard and included, and meaningful protection and support for international workers. By advocating for these demands, we strengthen our workforce and ensure the continued advancement of scientific research.

My name is Santiago Alvarez, and I am currently in my second year of postdoctoral training in the Department of Pathology at Northwestern University. My research focuses on immunology and inflammation in the context of cardiac disease.

I strongly support NUPU-UE (Local 1151) because I believe that postdoctoral scholars and research associates are highly trained, skilled scientists who contribute substantially to the university’s research output, funding success, and academic reputation. Despite this, we are not treated equitably: we face financial disadvantages, limited job security, and a lack of guaranteed professional development, benefits, and other fundamental workplace protections.

Through NUPU, we aim to secure a fair contract that ensures meaningful input in the conditions that shape our careers, and that holds Northwestern accountable to the level of commitment and excellence we already bring to our research.

I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts and am proud to represent the postdocs and research associates of Northwestern as we begin bargaining for our first contract. Now more than ever it is important for us to come together to fight for the protections that we deserve and that are long overdue. In this climate we unfortunately cannot rely on the government or our institution to guarantee these rights and it is only through uniting we can ensure a better workplace for ourselves and those who come after. Specifically, I want to work towards addressing issues and stressors surrounding funding, job protections, and international workers rights. Furthermore, I want to ensure we can enforce our contract wins and that our union has the strongest foundation possible through establishing Union Shop. Finally, I know from firsthand experience being in a small department that being a postdoc can at times feel like an isolating experience, especially compared with the cohorts built in graduate school. I hope through growing and strengthening our union through participation in the bargaining committee I can aid in fostering a community that connects its members in and out of the workplace, so they feel supported in all aspects of life.