UChicago stalls; GSU wins back TAs and Instructors

Dear Members,

While our second bargaining session took place, organizers in all divisions marched over to their deans offices to deliver the petition - signed by over 1500 members - to include all TAs and instructors in the College. We passed along our recognition petition directly to the University’s bargaining committee. The University moved from their previous position and agreed that the contract will include all TAs and instructors in the College. We will continue to negotiate our contract proposals this summer but are disappointed that for the months of August and September, the University has so far only offered to bargain for 5 hours every 2 weeks.

We need to be a priority now.

We scheduled more bargaining sessions to take place on August 10, August 31, September 13, and September 28. The University will meet with us for about five hours at each session, which are scheduled at least two weeks apart from each other. The University’s legal counsel claimed that it’s “ambitious to finish (bargaining) by the end of the year.” We are certain that negotiations can happen faster. As demonstrated by the petition win, the University can swiftly respond to our demands when we are vocal. Come to the next CAT meeting to discuss how we can secure our contract as soon as possible.

We’re continuing to fight for the best possible contract.

The University shared several counter proposals with us this morning. [Follow updates on the tracker here]. It is clear that the University is not interested in a grievance procedure that protects all graduate workers. The University sees academics and labor as distinct, as if they are demarcated by a “bright line.” We know first hand that this is untrue –– our academics and labor are inextricably intertwined. 

We have a tentative agreement on severability.

We tentatively agreed to a severability article. The least controversial agreement in the proposal was signed by both parties as a tentative agreement. 

Meanwhile on campus, organizers in the Biological Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Division, Social Sciences Division, Humanities, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and Divinity School delivered the petition to their deans. We mobilized our base swiftly and effectively over the past two weeks, in addition to engaging the faculty in the process. This is a testament to our strength and critically supports the work of our bargaining committee. Keep paying attention to the negotiations and stay tuned for further actions!