In an Aug. 27 opinion piece titled “Postdocs Aren’t Burger Flippers: Why Unionization Is a Bad Idea,” Yale faculty member and professor of radiology and biomedical imaging Dr. Evan D. Morris took the position that unionism by postdoctoral scholars would threaten the highly individualized mentor-mentee relationships which he states are essential to furthering science. Dr. Morris’s anti-unionization views vis-à-vis postdoctoral scholars appeal to the emotions of academia’s privileged by romanticizing the unequal power relations facing early-career professionals. Such views also forget that systemic issues, such as hostile working environments that are closed to many, represent real threats to the vitality and productivity of communities committed to advancing knowledge.
I am truly, sincerely happy that Dr. Morris experienced healthy and productive mentorship relationships during his career and was able to use these relationships in ways which brought him (and those with whom he worked) career advancement and personal fulfillment. I am so, so lucky to also have wonderful mentors who changed my life. I hope to be a mentor for others in ways which honor what I’ve received from having met and worked with these mentors. But we cannot assume these experiences are the norm, and they are not the starting point for a productive conversation about the merits of postdoctoral unionization.
