We demand that all University of California postdocs have equal access to the Postdoctoral Scholars Benefits Plan at the same cost. Equal benefits for equal work!

UC has been telling some postdoctoral scholars who have fellowships or other outside funding sources that they must pay hundreds of dollars per month for the Postdoctoral Scholars Benefits Program (PSBP), in violation of the contract that the postdoc union (UAW Local 5810) negotiated with the university. The contract clearly states that all postdoctoral scholars and their dependents can enroll in the PSBP and sets affordable rates.

Many of those affected are in the US on immigrant guest worker visas and have won fellowships and other awards that collectively bring in millions of dollars of research funding to the university. Still, UC is forcing them to pay exorbitant rates or dissuading them from enrolling themselves or their families in the benefits, leading many to purchase inferior catastrophic plans at great personal cost. If you or a postdoc you know is in this situation, contact the union at uaw5810@uaw5810.org or (510) 845-5726

The University of California, which received over $4 billion in public grant funding in 2012, must follow the UC-UAW contract and give ALL postdoctoral scholars and their dependents equal access to the Postdoctoral Scholar Benefits Plan at the same cost.