AUGUST 31, 2023
More TAs + a Deadlock at the Bargaining Table
Three More Tentative Agreements!
We have reached three more tentative agreements with Admin for the Grievance and Arbitration, Assignment Notification and Reappointment, and Training articles.
Dear Members,
Our Grievance and Arbitration article establishes a process to resolve workplace disputes with fair representation from a GSU steward who is an elected, trained peer advocate. It also establishes a definitive timeline for resolution and escalation of these complaints.
Our Assignment Notification and Reappointment article grants us advanced notice of the jobs we are required to perform and ensures our advanced notification of these job requirements such as all mandatory duties, pay, and expected number of enrolled students in a course for TA or CA positions.
Our Training article guarantees that all required training, orientations, or conferences are considered a part of our workload as graduate employees.The cost of registration and attendance (including travel!) for these required trainings will now be fully covered by the University.
Deadlock at the Bargaining Table
The University remains adamant that harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority disputes should be handled through existing University policies and not through our Grievance and Arbitration procedure. Additionally, the University claims that the forms and basis of discrimination not covered by US law, such as caste, are “ill-defined”––even though caste is a meaningful category for South Asian students. We will continue to fight for protections against all forms of discrimination.
The University continues to push back against our Academic Discipline and Discharge article by insisting that our labor and academic performance are distinguishable on a basis that the University exclusively defines. Their position undermines our rights as workers by arbitrarily claiming that anything outside of a narrow scope of research and teaching is an academic issue, not an employment issue. However, these issues are inextricably linked and we must be able to address them through our Union whenever it affects our employment.
Our last core outstanding issue is the “Union Shop” article which the University has not provided a counter to since early July. UE graduate locals nationwide understand that Union Shop is the vital component of a strong and lasting union; we hold the line together on Union Shop. Here’s more information on why Union Shop is necessary for a strong, effective union that protects all graduate workers.
Proposal Tracker Revamp and State of Negotiations
Our proposal tracker got a makeover! It’s now much simpler to understand what’s happening at the bargaining table and to stay updated on our negotiations. A top-line summary of each of our proposals is now available in the proposal tracker. Additionally, the “State of the Negotiations” at the bottom of this tracker contains a detailed summary of our proposals and bargaining hangups.