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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · Jul 15

Exciting week for Penn Postdocs in their union elections this week! Academia needs collective power more than ever! Every academic worker deserves rights, protections, and a say. ✊ #WeAreTheUAW

x.com/RAPUP_UAW/st...

RAPUP-UAW on X: "Thanks to our postdoctoral colleagues in @hopkinspro_uaw, @urfu_uaw, @spocuaw, and @uaw_4811 for the words of solidarity ahead of our vote later this week! https://t.co/8CPDIlNw0F" / X

Thanks to our postdoctoral colleagues in @hopkinspro_uaw, @urfu_uaw, @spocuaw, and @uaw_4811 for the words of solidarity ahead of our vote later this week! https://t.co/8CPDIlNw0F

x.com

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 19

Excited for our DC siblings at the Kennedy Center ✊⚙️

Daily Union Elections @unionelections.bsky.social · May 19

NEW: 175 staff for the Kennedy Center in DC are unionizing with @uaw.org

Pictured is a filing from the National Labor Relations Board website showing a petition for certification of a labor organization as the representative of a collective bargaining unit. The employer is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts located in Washington DC. There are 172 employees in the proposed bargaining unit made up of all regular full and part time employees who work in/for development, education, marketing, programming, national symphony orchestra, and washington national opera.

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 19

Today, NIH Fellows United and our colleagues walked out of NIH Director Jayanta Bhattacharya’s Town Hall. Dr. Bhattacharya's tenure at NIH has been marked with damaging cuts to NIH personnel and biomedical research funding.

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 15

Academic workers across the country are calling 📞 Legislators to ask them to sign on to bipartisan letters ✉️ in support of robust NIH funding and opposing the 15% indirect cost caps. Take 5 minutes to call your legislators today. Deadline is May 19th.

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

While this administration sows fear and isolation, our union stands up for hope and solidarity. Standing together, we will not be intimidated.

When we fight, we win. ✊

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

On Wednesday, we planned to lead a walkout at his first town hall.

We wanted to send a message: we will not sit by while our Director aids and abets the dismantling of America's crown jewel research enterprise.

Seems he got wind of our plans, because he postponed last-minute.

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

Since Bhattacharya’s arrival, we have made good-faith efforts to meet with the Director, but have been brushed off.

His comments - whether misinformed or intentionally deceptive - have repeatedly misled the NIH community and the public.

Trust demands better.

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

In another misleading exchange, Bhattacharya dismissed a Nature news article reporting that NIH planned to suspend subawards for foreign collaborations as “rumors.” Hours later he released a policy confirming said “rumors.”

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

…On the contrary, in the past month, critical NIH facilities received stop work orders, 2200 contractors were terminated, a second round of RIFs hit, and the funding cuts continued.

Inside the Bloodbath at the NIH

Sources say that a climate of fear has spread throughout the agency as the Trump administration takes a hatchet to its core functions.

www.thenation.com

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

In an interview with @science.org on Monday, Bhattacharya evaded accountability for what is happening at NIH and claimed,“in the month I’ve been here, I think things have turned around pretty significantly”...

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

A thread: NIH Fellows United is committed to showing up, even when leadership won’t. 🧪

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

form.laborbase.org/251246245216...

Phonebank to Support Federal Research Funding on 5/13

Please click the link to complete this form.

form.laborbase.org

NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

Last Friday, the Trump Administration proposed major budget cuts to the NSF and NIH, two of the largest public funders of biomedical research. On May 13th @ 3pm ET join us in calling Congressional Legislators to tell them to sign onto letters supporting federal research funding. #KilltheCuts >🔗

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

UAW Local 4121 @uaw4121.bsky.social · Apr 7

Read more about the panel featuring Local President Levin
Kim & @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social President Emilya Ventriglia here: www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

@uaw4811.bsky.social @umd-glu.bsky.social

Concerns about higher ed’s future under Trump and calls for a forceful response to his actions pervaded a recent gathering on collective bargaining in higher ed. The conference—held in Manhattan just two days after Columbia announced it would capitulate to multiple demands the administration made—offered a snapshot into a large pocket of resistance.

We couldn’t actually be better positioned to fight back against the kind of authoritarian attacks that we’re seeing.”
—Ian Gavigan, national director of Higher Ed Labor United

Panelists and the audience discussed the Trump administration’s ongoing targeting of higher ed and how to respond.

“We are under absolutely relentless assault,” said Rebecca Givan, general vice president of the Rutgers University AAUP-AFT and a HELU steering committee member. “It’s constant, it’s everywhere, it’s in every direction, but it would be so much worse if we didn’t have our unions. And so we have these structures and we need to use them to fight back.”

Givan said that “none of us have been sleeping,” but “if we can’t organize within our unions to fight back, we have nothing.” She said unions have to work within state and federal politics and agencies, fighting for changes such as higher taxes on the rich to fund higher ed.

“We also have to give our university administrators a strong invitation to do the right thing,” Givan said. “And if they do not, we have to fill that leadership vacuum. We cannot let them back down. We cannot let them do a Columbia and capitulate.”

Atop the litigation, presidents and members of those unions and others—such as the United Autoworkers, a major organizer of graduate student workers—have rallied in Washington, D.C., against cuts to universities and federal research agencies. This week, the UAW joined other, nonunion organizations in suing to overturn the administration’s cancellations of National Institutes of Health grants.

Attempts at more national shows of force are coming. Across dozens of campuses, multiple unions are sponsoring a “Kill the Cuts” day of action on April 8, focused on reversing the NIH cuts and other federal funding reductions, followed by a more general protest April 17. It all adds up to campus unions taking a public stand where administrators largely haven’t.

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

UAW 4811 @uaw4811.bsky.social · Apr 3

Due to cuts to the NIH, “…scientific advancement will be delayed, treatments will go undiscovered, human health will be compromised, and lives will be lost.” Read about how UAW is fighting funding cuts in court: www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Researchers, Higher Ed Union Fight NIH Grant Terminations

A new lawsuit argues that canceling billions in research grants will delay scientific advancements, compromise human health and even result in deaths.

www.insidehighered.com

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · Mar 28

The fight for research, healthcare, and education is on.

Join us in April 8th at 4PM at Upper Senate Park, D.C. (and nationwide!) to demand NO CUTS to research and education. 🪧 We say: #KILLTHECUTS!

RSVP[https://tinyurl.com/KillTheCuts]

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

Liza Smith @lizasmith4md.bsky.social · Mar 8

Over 600 passionate individuals united with Maryland leaders, alongside advocates, to stand strong against the Trump Administration's assault on the National Institutes of Health. UWA leaders @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social delivered an inspiring speech that electrified the crowd. @mcdems.bsky.social

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

UAW @uaw.org · Mar 7

"As scientists, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Today, we are all standing shoulder to shoulder WITH giants. Everybody here has the ability to move us forward. Everyone here is a leader. Lead with your hearts now."

— Haley Chatelaine, VP of UAW Local 2750 @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social

Dr. Haley Chatelaine, VP of UAW Local 2750, addresses attendees at the Stand Up for Science Rally in Washington DC on March 7, 2025.

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

UAW @uaw.org · Mar 7

UAW members joined thousands of fellow scientists and advocates today for the Stand Up for Science Rally in Washington DC.

Attendees called on leaders at every level to champion and protect scientific research and education against recent attacks by the Trump administration.

UAW members who work at the National Institutes of Health rally with fellow scientists and advocates at the Stand Up for Science Rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on March 7, 2025.

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

AFSCME @afscme.bsky.social · Feb 26

At a labor rally, speakers blasted the administration’s cuts to health care and higher education. Read more & learn how to GET ORGANIZED below. www.afscme.org/blog/life-sa...

Life-saving medical research will suffer from the administration’s rash cuts

The new administration is gutting federal health programs, and that will hurt higher ed.

www.afscme.org

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

AFT @aft.org · Feb 25

I’d rather be in a lab right now. But we’re here because the NIH grants that fund our research have been cut. RFK Jr. says he wants to make America healthy again - but how does he want to do that without our research?! - Annika Barber, @ruaaup-aft.bsky.social

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

Higher Education Labor United (HELU) @higheredlabor.bsky.social · Feb 22

On Tuesday 2/25 – in D.C. and online – workers and labor leaders will rally to expose how attacks on public funding decimate public health and education while siphoning off public resources for private gain. Hands off our healthcare, research, jobs, and education! Join us: www.labor4highered.org

Washington D.C. and online – 1:30pm ET Rally and online phone bank

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · Feb 13

“We have strength in numbers. …I think we’re ready to fight.” said Ian Fucci, a member of NIH Fellows United / UAW Local 2750. Join us next week to fight together for research: tinyurl.com/3ct6yns2

www.statnews.com/2025/02/13/r...

Young researchers mobilize to protest Trump administration’s science policies

Stunned by attacks on the scientific research system, early career scientists plan a D.C. demonstration and a national ‘Stand Up for Science’ event.

www.statnews.com

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · Feb 13

Join us on the 19th at the Department of Health and Human Services in DC! RSVP here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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Reposted by NIH Fellows United

UAW @uaw.org · Feb 12

To ensure these cuts are reversed, UAW demands immediate action from Congress before they wreak havoc on the working class, scientific innovation, and the future of public health.

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