The Daily Northwestern — February 26, 2025 by The Daily Northwestern

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The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, February 26, 2025

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Postdocs push to unionize collecting signatures Funding concerns campaign, of the potential bargaining unit on under Trump union authorization cards. Since then, a majority of postadministration docs and research associates on By NINETH KANIESKI KOSO

daily senior staffer @ninethkk

Nearing the end of his postdoctoral position, postdoctoral researcher Jake Mann said he is starting to think about applying to faculty jobs. However, due to the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to federal funding and endowment taxes, many higher education institutions have instituted hiring freezes on new faculty. Mann said it is likely he will have to stay at his current position during this period of uncertainty in academia. Because of this, he said it is more important than ever for postdoctoral researchers and research associates to unionize. Over the summer, postdocs gathered over 50% of their bargaining pools’ signatures in a campaign for salary increases. “(The University’s) response was relatively dismissive, and with no offer to negotiate or open up any broader conversation about postdoc issues here at Northwestern,” Mann said. The postdocs began a card

NU’s Evanston and Chicago campuses have signed these cards, according to postdoctoral researcher Steven Baksa. “We were able to see the power of the graduate workers union, and what they were able to achieve through going through the process of unionization,” Mann said. “It really made the case that in order to actually make real and lasting change here, we need to organize so that we can force Northwestern to the negotiating table.” Baksa said the campaign is close to officially filing for a union election with a regional office of the National Labor Relations Board. However, the fate of the NLRB is uncertain under the Trump administration. Shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January, he fired former President Joe Biden’s nominee, Gwynne Wilcox. Wilcox has since sued Trump for her firing. “This leaves the current board with only two members. This is a five-member board, and they’re unable to act if they lack a quorum (of three members),”

» See POST DOC, page 14

Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern

Veronica Reyes applauds after City Council passed the Workers’ Retention Ordinance on Monday at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center.

Dining employees stand in unison Workers’ Retention Ordinance approved to protect NU employees By CLARA MARTINEZ

the daily northwestern @claramart1nez7

When NU Dining employee Veronica Reyes bought a house in Evanston’s 2nd Ward in 2010, she

didn’t anticipate living in constant fear of losing her job should the University change its contractor. Now, she won’t have to. On Monday, City Council passed the Workers’ Retention Ordinance, which will protect the jobs of food service, hospitality and

janitorial employees. The council voted 8-0 in favor of the ordinance, with Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th) abstaining. Both Reyes and her son work at NU, which she said builds a sense of community among employees — which was threatened by looming

job insecurity. “My coworkers, we have younger and older, and some of them have been working since 1980,” Reyes said. “It’s very hard when they have the risk to get fired.”

» See COUNCIL 1, page 14

Vigil honors 62 Ukrainian victims Top naval officer, a NU Ukrainian club lights candles for anniversary of Russian invasion By MELODY XU

the daily northwestern @_melodyxu

Candles illuminated the rows of Alice Millar Chapel on Monday night, flickering in the hands of Northwestern students as they listened to the names of 62 people who have died in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The candle-lighting ceremony was the conclusion of a vigil hosted by student group Northwestern for Ukraine on Monday, which marked three years since Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. “The vigil today is a way, mostly for the members of our community, to reflect on this, be there for each other and be sad for a moment,” said Northwestern for Ukraine President and Weinberg sophomore Yuliia Chernova. “Sometimes you don’t allow yourself to be sad, because we’re at Northwestern. We’re in a safe place.” Three students gave speeches, with Chernova opening and closing the program. Attendees also

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stood for Ukraine’s national anthem. Weinberg freshman Uliana Zelenko, an international student from Kyiv, Ukraine, was the first speaker. Zelenko, a member of the club, discussed her trouble with managing helplessness and guilt especially after grieving family members. “Sometimes I even wish I died instead of my grandfather back in 2022, because if I died, I would not have to witness how the world is degraded and rotting,” Zelenko said in her speech. Medill freshman and Daily staffer Mira Trofymchuk also spoke about feelings of uncertainty. Trofymchuk said she often talks with friends about their aspirations for the future. However, she said sometimes it makes her feel like the odd one out. “For me, it’s different,” Trofymchuk said. “It’s hard for me to imagine my future. Not because I’m scared of what might happen or what challenges I can have in my life, I’m just not sure that there is a future.”

Medill alum fired Administration fires Franchetti in the middle of her tenure By MAYA IKENBERRY

daily senior staffer

Misha Manjuran Oberoi/Daily Northwestern

Three students gave speeches at the vigil, and attendees also stood for the Ukrainian national anthem.

Trofymchuk dedicated her speech to her stepfather, who died in the war. News coverage of the invasion has dwindled since the invasion began three years ago, Chernova said. Partially to remind the

community, the club yesterday painted The Rock with blue and yellow resembling the Ukraine flag, with the words “3 years of full-scale war” on top. “This is just another way of

» See VIGIL, page 14

United States Defense Secretar y Pete Hegseth a n n o u n ced Fr i d ay t hat he was firing Adm. Lisa Franchetti (Medi l l ’85), the 33rd U.S. Chief of Naval Operations. “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,” Hegseth wrote in his statement. President Joe Biden nominated Franchetti for the role in July 2023, citing her “extensive operational and policy experience.” The Senate subsequently confirmed her in November 2023, making her the first female officer to serve as the Navy’s top officer and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs

of Staff. Franchetti spent half of her nearly 40-year career at sea. She commanded a destroyer ship, a destroyer squadron, aircraft carriers, the entirety of the naval force in Korea and eventually the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. Joint Chiefs of Staff typically serve four-year terms, often ex tending ser v ice between multiple administrations. It is rare for an officer in this position to be replaced in the middle of their tenure. Franchetti and Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, a fourstar female admiral, were the first two chief officers to be relieved of their duties since President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20. In addition to Franchetti, the Trump Administration fired a handful of top military officers Friday, including Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. mayaikenberry2026@u.northwestern.edu