• Visa fee and travel reimbursement of up to $500 once per contract period 
• 7 days paid time off for visa proceedings, 3 of which can be used for appointments within the US
• Two-year minimum initial appointments for new Postdocs
• Necessary paperwork for H1-B visas would no longer be allowed to be withheld by advisors in bad faith (i.e. without cause)
• Strong rehiring protections if you have trouble maintaining visa status: the Institute will hold your job position up to 90 days
• The Institute will not begin with disciplinary action in the event of a Social Security no-match letter
• A commitment from the Institute to maintain its support for CPT/OPT and Academic Training programs
• Translation of the contract in up to 3 different languages

International scholars make up a majority of GSWs and Postdocs at Caltech. Our dedication to research powers the university, but Caltech administration turns a blind eye to many of the realities we face. For example, though the majority of Postdocs work at Caltech for more than 1 year, before our contract, most international Postdocs start with an initial 1-year appointment letter. As a result, they only receive 1-year J visas and need subsequent visa renewals when their contracts are extended. An international Postdoc described the uncertainty and stress surrounding visa renewal as “always happening at the last minute” and “feeling like you are begging for your survival,” while noting that there is an even shorter 90-day grace period for people on H1B visas. The worker said, “it was hard to even commit to friendships with people because I didn’t know if we were [still] going to be here.” Our contract now enshrines a minimum 2 year initial appointment letter for Postdocs. 

Renewing visas is a financial burden and time commitment — sometimes days or weeks of travel are required to renew paperwork outside the US; time off is not guaranteed and the travel is almost always self-funded. Some of our international GSW and Postdoc colleagues have decided they would rather not go home than deal with trying to get time off for visa renewal; many have not seen their family for years, even skipping funerals of loved ones. Some have even said that their advisors suggested delaying their timely visa renewal so as to not leave the lab. Our contract now contains industry-leading, enforceable, paid 7 days time off for visa renewal and up to an additional $500 reimbursement for related expenses.

GSWs and Postdocs may file a grievance in accordance with this article if their Union contract is violated, following the steps below and ending in either neutral, third party arbitration or mediation.

• In mediation, a neutral, trained mediator works to help both parties come to a consensus on their own.
• In arbitration, a neutral, trained arbitrator serves as a judge who is responsible for resolving the grievance.

Starting at Step 2, you can choose whether to have union representation in your meetings with Caltech administration.

Examples of contract violations include: 

• Failure to provide agreed upon wages or benefits on time
• Unreasonable hours, job expectations, or work scheduling as defined in the Job Expectations and Scheduling of Work article
• Failure to provide safe working conditions, being required to work in an unsafe working environment, or other violations of the Health and Safety article

Under the status quo, GSWs and Postdocs are only allowed a “silent advocate” in meetings with administration to resolve workplace issues. Existing Institute policies are not legally and promptly enforceable. Without a union contract and a strong grievance procedure, there is no obligation for Caltech administration to respect our time, energy, and labor.

Contract violations involving Discrimination, Unlawful Harassment, Abusive Conduct, or Reasonable Accommodations are also grievable, and follow a modified grievance process (see above explainer).

Our historic article guarantees

• Protections against abusive conduct and bullying beyond the scope of Title IX protections, including neutral third-party mediation within 90 days.
• Immediate, supportive and survivor-centered interim measures to maintain a safe environment. For example, if necessary, an interim measure could be requiring an abusive P.I. to alter their schedule to avoid crossing paths in the lab.
• Parallel processes through our new grievance process, without needing to rely solely on Title IX’s investigation following the steps below

When BBE Postdoc, Jessica Griffiths, asked GSWs and Postdocs the following question, a majority of hands went up.

“Raise your hand if you or someone you know has been bullied, harassed, or discriminated against by a PI or a peer.”

Recent documented Title IX cases at Caltech have lasted up to 14 months and 16 months. Read why Title IX was not enough here.

The Union Security article is the cornerstone of our contract. This article ensures that we have the power to enforce our contract by guaranteeing us an agency shop.

Agency shops are unionized workplaces where workers have a choice in whether or not they become union members. 

• With an agency shop, all workers who are covered by a union contract pay a small portion of their paycheck to contribute financially to their union in the form of union dues (or fees, for non-members). 
• In the alternative, an open shop, all GSWs and Postdocs benefit from our new contract, but no one has to chip in for the costs of representation.

Power comes from organized people and organized money.

Our union is the only legal means we have to challenge the imbalance of power between GSWs and Postdocs and the Caltech administration. We know that Caltech is well-resourced, and in turn, we must have the resources to level the playing field. An agency shop helps fund legal assistance and staff to assist with contract enforcement, and contributes to our strike fund. A strong union now sets us up for success in future contract negotiations.

Our Health and Safety article requires the Institute and Union Members to comply with all health and safety laws and policies for on-campus work and institute sponsored off campus work. No unit member will be required to work in conditions that endanger their health and safety. Unit members must report unsafe conditions, and cannot be retaliated against for doing so.

Furthermore, the Institute is required to provide 

• • • • Personal protective equipment
      • First aid equipment and training
      • Timely health and safety information to workers assigned to offsite workspaces (e.g. field research), allowing workers to plan for hazards in the field 
      • Workers’ compensation to injured workers as required by law
      • The right for a health and safety sub-committee of GSWs and PDs to liaise with other health and safety committees on campus.

Under the current Tentative Agreement, Workers may request reasonable accommodations for a disability or pregnancy related condition from the Caltech Accessibility Services for Students (Graduate Student Workers) or Disability & Leave Administration Unit (Postdocs).

Workers requesting accommodations are entitled to: 

• • • A timely, good faith interactive process to provide accommodations.

    • The right to request a meeting to discuss their accommodations need.

    • Confidentiality of all medical documentation

    • The right to use prior documentation for past accommodations in accommodations requests

    • If an accommodation request is denied, a written explanation of why the request was denied.

If the interactive process fails to provide adequate accommodations, workers have the right to appeal; once the appeal process is exhausted or 21 days have elapsed from the initial denial, a worker who believes their accommodations request has been unreasonably denied may file a grievance using our new process in the Prohibition and Procedures Against Discrimination, Unlawful Harassment, and Abusive Conduct article.

“When I sought disability accommodations my first year at Caltech, I contacted CASS (Caltech Accessibility Services for Students) and they asked me to schedule an appointment through their automated form. On the day of my appointment, I waited outside the door for 45 minutes and called the office a few times with no response. By chance, someone from the Chancellor’s office walked by and only after he made a few calls and emails, we found out that the last CASS administrator had left his position and the new one hadn’t started. In the end, it took until halfway through my second year to get accommodations. Some of my friends with much more severe disabilities and medical conditions had to wait equally long or longer to have their needs met. A strong union contract, mandating timely responses to accommodation requests, would ensure students get the help they need while they still need it.”

– A GSW in Physics

This article enshrines:

• A commitment to Freedom of Speech and Expression per Caltech policy.
• Strong protections for union actions, organizing, and events in accordance with the National Labor Relations Act

The California Labor Code, Sections 1101-1104 on political speech and activity

In 2024, Caltech made unilateral amendments to the campus free speech policy. These changes would have affected our ability to organize events like the Majority Rally last faall and more recently, the We Keep Us Safe rally. . Through collective action, student workers at Caltech fought to preserve our academic freedom and our right to union activity and broader political organizing at Caltech. Protections under the California Labor Code are the strongest protections for any private or public university, setting an institutional standard for worker protections at Caltech. Going forward Caltech has agreed to notify our union before they make any changes to the campus “Freedom of Speech and Expression Policy” that would affect the clauses of the Free Speech Tentative Agreement.

When Caltech changed its policies, events such as our majority rally would have been prohibited under Caltech’s Policy. This contract marks a new period of academic freedom at Caltech.

The article regarding Discipline and Discharge is designed to codify protections against unjust termination. Discharge refers to the termination of a worker’s appointment before its official end date.

• Discipline or discharge related to work performance requires just cause.
• Supervisors cannot fire a worker in retaliation or due to personal conflict. There must be proof of the worker’s failure to fulfill their job requirements along with other fair criteria.
• May dispute via the grievance process
• Written advance notice must be given on specific timelines to Postdocs who are subject to termination.
• Issues regarding solely academic standing (for example, academic dishonesty or failure to reach degree milestones) do not fall under the scope of this article.
• Workers subject to discharge or suspension have the right to meet with their supervisor, and the right to have a Union representative present.
• When there are investigations of allegations of misconduct or dereliction of duty, the worker may be placed on immediate paid administrative leave.
• This protects fellow workers who may be victims of this individual’s conduct, but allows a fair process for the accused.

“When I first joined the lab, my former PI didn’t dedicate much time to get to know me or help me start my own project and so, I spent most of my time assisting existing projects and experiments. Attempts to establish my own direction and momentum were discouraged and I was not provided with much guidance or support for my ideas. The lab environment was highly competitive with a strong preference for data production over mastery of technique. Because of this, I was trained to perform certain experiments improperly by lab members who didn’t have time to spare, and this resulted in me hurting myself during a procedure. When I reported this incident, my former PI reprimanded me, told me I was unfit for the lab, and fired me. While my former PI guaranteed my funding until I found a new position, they would send me repeated email reminders, telling me to hurry up because keeping me around was ‘expensive’.”

– A GSW in BBE

Paid Parental Leave

• • GSWs: 6 weeks pregnancy leave + 8 weeks bonding leave
  • Postdocs: 8 weeks pregnancy leave + 8 weeks bonding leave

Medical Leave and Sick Days

• • 15 paid sick days for GSWs and PDs
  • 12 weeks unpaid medical leave with guaranteed reinstatement. 
  • For GSWs, this does not necessarily require a leave from their academic program 

Vacation and Holidays

• Postdocs: Minimum of 21 days paid vacation per year 
• GSWs: Minimum of 10 days paid vacation per year
• Paid Vacation Days for: New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, Christmas Day, two floating holidays scheduled by the institute, and one personal holiday

Immigration and Miscellaneous Paid Time Off: 

• • 7 days paid time off to attend visa applications abroad (up to 3 of which may be used for visa applications within the US) 
  • 5 days paid time off for bereavement
  • Paid time off to attend Jury Duty

“Currently, whether you have a life at Caltech with adequate leave, reasonable academic expectations, help renewing your visa, and a healthy workplace is directly determined by whether you have a good relationship with your advisor. I’m fighting for a better contract because I want that to be the standard for all Caltech workers.”

– Varun Wadia, HSS Postdoc

Under this article, all academic workers will receive a letter before starting their appointments that includes details like job title, general expectations and duties, salary/stipend information, benefits information, start and end dates of the appointment, and information on the Union. 

For Postdocs:

• • Guaranteed a two-year initial appointment, doubling the current one year minimum
    • • Initial two-year visas for incoming international postdocs
  • Reappointments are at minimum one year and at maximum 3 years long.
  • Shorter or longer appointments can be mutually agreed upon by a Postdoc and their supervisor.
  • A right to at least 30 days advance notice if the appointment will not be renewed.
  • Postdocs who have served for at least one year can be promoted to Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, with automatic promotions for postdocs who have served at least six years. 

For GSWs: Appointments that will be commensurate with offer letters and protections against being kept longer than the expected degree completion date.

Before our contract, most international Postdocs started with an initial 1-year appointment letter, though the majority of Postdocs work at Caltech for more than 1 year. Postdocs on J1 visas had no more than eight to nine months of stability before they begin to worry about their continued employment or make plans to return home to renew their visas. An international Postdoc described the uncertainty and stress surrounding visa renewal as “always happening at the last minute” and “feeling like you are begging for your survival,” while noting that there is an even shorter 90-day grace period for people on H1B visas. The worker said, “it was hard to even commit to friendships with people because I didn’t know if we were [still] going to be here.”

This article also preserves a key component of academic jobs: the flexible length. PhD and Postdoctoral roles are not meant to be lifelong appointments, and our current tentative agreement protects both the worker and Institute as workers inevitably move on.

It is important for GSWs and Postdocs to have codified protections that can weather any labor or science policy changes that may be coming under a second Trump administration. With a contract length of over two years, all of us, especially international workers, are guaranteed a more stable environment in which to work.  

Several other academic unions, including the University of Washington GSWs, University of California Postdocs, and University of Southern California GSWs, will be negotiating new contracts in 2027. A rising tide lifts all boats: by negotiating in tandem, we can combine our power and have a better chance to improve on what has already been won.

This article ensures reasonable access to campus to enforce the contract and inform all GSWs and PDs of their rights under our contract, including:

• Use of campus bulletin boards, campus mail, Caltech email, and Caltech Zoom
• Use of campus facilities for union activities
• A 30 minute union orientation slot at campus-wide orientation
• Access to contact information of all GSWs and Postdocs provided at the beginning of the year
• Union stewards, elected from the GSW and Postdoc body, are guaranteed the right to enforce the contract and reasonable time to bargain successive contracts