New York State Proposes Stipends Below Minimum Wage says deciding whether to eat or pay rent is "Our Choice"! On Wednesday, February 12th, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our twelfth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract. This session followed last week’s coordinated petition drops on SUNY campuses where GSEU members publicly voiced their displeasure at the rate of bargaining, and listed what they were looking for in a strong contract.
Here is what happened at the last session: Compensation: Last session GSEU proposed a minimum stipend of $40,059 for upstate based schools and $44,731 for downstate based schools, based on cost of living and competition among peer institutions. In response, the State of New York and SUNY proposed raises of only 3% to existing base stipends, raising base stipends to a mere $11,102, which is over $1,000 lower than working a 20 hour job at the lowest tier of NYS minimum wage and over $2,000 below someone working the downstate minimum wage tier. Additionally, while GSEU proposed ending the tiered compensation system between University Centers that must offer stipends above a contractual minimum and SUNY colleges that have no such requirement, SUNY and the State of New York refused to even consider a base stipend amount for graduate workers at the SUNY colleges. When the GSEU bargaining committee further pressed SUNY and the State to consider how graduate workers can survive on stipends lower than the NYS minimum wage, OER Director and Counsel for New York State Mike Volforte replied that graduate workers “have a choice to make” and do not “have to take the job”. It should be noted that graduate workers make up approximately 60% of all educational based labor at SUNY across New York State. Partial Victory! International Students: In reaction to public pressure from GSEU members across New York State, SUNY and the State of New York backtracked from their previous position and offered to provide tax and immigration experts to International Members in conjunction with GSEU, with all workshops with these experts to be recorded and widely distributed for all that may need them. No word yet on Leaves of Absence for Visa Procedures or payments to International Students offered through SSN alternatives. Leaves of Absence: GSEU proposed allowing TAs and GAs to be a part of the NYS Sick and Safe Leave program, which would allow them to take paid leave not only for illness but for leaving situations of domestic violence. We also proposed allowing time accrued working for the Research Foundation as an RPA to count, as many GAs and TAs who switch between lines yearly or semesterly would never qualify for the program. Insurance: GSEU countered the insurance proposal from NYS and SUNY by eliminating sections that would result in a restriction of care, simplifying the summer continuation process and waivers and adding an option for couples, who currently have to pay the premiums for the most costly family plan. Workload: GSEU proposed a workload article that would further solidify the maximum 20 hour work week for grad workers, restrict the ability for supervisors to add last minute additional work and outlining a clear process for graduate workers to receive recourse if they are forced to work beyond 20 hours a week. Additional training required by specific departments would have to be paid, or be encompassed in a 20 hour work week, rather than in addition to.
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On Wednesday, January 29th, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our eleventh bargaining session to negotiate a new contract. Here is what happened at the last session:
Compensation: GSEU proposed a minimum stipend of $40,059 for upstate based schools and $44,731 for downstate based schools. This new minimum would move us from amongst the lowest paid stipends to a national leader in graduate compensation. These wages would cover all state graduate workers, regardless of degree program and department and would include the colleges outside of the university centers. 2% annual raises would continue on top of these base rates. Graduate workers are increasingly burdened as wages have not kept up with inflation and housing costs. Additionally, SUNY graduate wages are not competitive with peer AAU and R1 and R2 schools, and rank consistently near the bottom on multiple measures of compensation. The proposal would split SUNY schools into two categories; Upstate and Downstate, with the Hudson valley serving as the dividing line. This was determined based on costs of living. Funds: GSEU proposed two additional funds: an emergency fund accessible by all graduate workers and a fund exclusively for international student hardship and emergencies. We proposed to maintain all other funds except for the downstate location fund, which would be no longer relevant thanks to the new stipend floors. External Employment: New York State and SUNY proposed a new side letter to replace side letter #8, covering external employment. Graduate workers would be permitted to seek external employment under this new side letter, but permission would need to be granted by the campuses, with particular consideration given to a grad worker’s academic progress, their visa status and whether or not any grants they may be paid under restricts outside employment. GSEU believes that unless SUNY pays a living stipend, they have no right to any say on external employment whatsoever. Health And Safety: New York State and SUNY so far refuse protect workers who refuse to work in unsafe environments. They prefer that management decide whether a workplace is safe or unsafe. They have indicated a willingness to hold monthly labor and management committee meetings to discuss workplace safety and to offer all safety equipment at the University’s cost that is required by either the university policy or outside laws to do one’s job(yes, this phrase confused us as well). Insurance: NYS and SUNY updated the current article 6 on health insurance to comply with mandates from the Affordable Care Act as well as any relevant NYS laws. They also proposed an appendix be added to the contract to cover insurance definitions regarding in versus out of network care as well as laws regarding surprise billing. Infusion Center Coverage: NYS and SUNY also proposed allowing graduate workers to join the Infusion Coverage program that would encourage patients to receive infusions when possible at a center, office or at home and not require these be delivered in outpatient hospital centers. This would both reduce costs and also reduce risk of exposure to germs for immunocompromised individuals. This session we worked on the Health & Safety article, moving closer to common ground with management:
Article 10: Health and Safety: The state reworked the health and safety article completely, proposing a committee system spanning from the campus to the SUNY-wide level for responding to safety issues as they arise. Although this approach differs from the one we initially proposed, we welcomed the attempt to institute a thorough, clear, and standardized procedure for addressing health and safety concerns. The power to grieve inadequate responses to health and safety concerns, a major priority for us, was not included in the state’s proposal. In our counterproposal, GSEU added some things that are important to our members, like provisions for PPE, procedures to address immediate hazards, and temporary relocation protocol, and added a requirement to produce reports whenever immediate hazards arise. We also cut language that would bar GSEU from grieving inadequate responses to health and safety concerns. Article 11: Labor-Management Meetings: The state proposed changes to this article alongside their Health & Safety proposal to highlight the integration of health & safety response procedures into regular labor-management meetings. Labor-management meetings are where GSEU representatives discuss membership concerns with their campus Labor Relations representatives. Article X: External Employment: The state, without providing a written counter, reiterated that they plan to require prior authorization for members who want to get a second job. If they want the power to limit our ability to take other jobs, then they must be prepared to pay us a full-time equivalent, living wage. On Monday, December 2nd, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our ninth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract. Over 120 members of GSEU attended the session to show New York State our strong willingness for a fair contract now and our frustration with how slowly things have been moving.
Here is what happened at the last session: New Article: Paid Family Leave: The State and SUNY indicated their willingness to work with us going forward to include GSEU members in the current New York State Paid Family Leave Policy, similar to what is offered to UUP members, while at the same time describing the administrative hurdles that will need to be overcome for us to have access to this program. As demographics of graduate workers have shifted over time and more graduate workers are starting families during their time at SUNY, we believe there is a compelling case for both sides to work to overcome these administrative barriers and offer this benefit to future and current graduate workers. New Article: External Employment: We presented a new article that would revoke side letter 8 in the current contract that prohibits outside employment for graduate workers, who often require outside employment both to help meet financial ends and gain valuable experience in their field of study. The State and SUNY suggested their willingness to work with us to find solutions, while also indicating that they will need time to introduce a pre-approval system for graduate workers seeking external employment, similar to what other SUNY employees currently have. Health And Safety: Graduate workers across the SUNY campuses shared their experiences with working in unsafe environments, such as broken elevators, deteriorating ceilings, and being forced to work, eat and spend time in offices and break rooms near dangerous chemicals, strong and potentially dangerous odors and biohazards. For the third time in a row, SUNY and the State once again showed an unwillingness to bargain over the basic protections and benefits for graduate workers. Incredibly, the State even called our requests for workplace protections “aspirational.” International Student Worker Rights and Protections: New York State and SUNY continue their refusal to offer barebones and basic protections for International Workers, stating that these are not things the state feels it's appropriate to do. We have not yet received counters on our proposals on: Office Space, Personnel Files, Bulletin Boards, Discrimination, Work Reassignment, Parking or Grievances. However, if we can show them that TAs and GAs want these important issues addressed, we'll have more leverage to get stronger agreements at the bargaining table. On Thursday, November 14, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our eighth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract. Once again, SUNY and the state showed an unwillingness to bargain over the basic protections and benefits we’ve proposed. Most of the counter proposals they did provide only gave lip service to the substantive issues we addressed.
Here is what happened at the last session: New Article: International Student Worker Rights and Protections: The State and SUNY AGAIN showed us their true colors: they simply don’t care about protecting international workers. They shrugged off our insistence that the state needs to use alternative IDs to pay international workers on time before they receive Social Security Numbers. They don’t seem to mind our members missing paychecks to pay for their groceries and rent! They also don’t want to support the international workforce that they actively recruit with tax information and leave for visa processing. Their counter proposal ignored all our language and instead pushed the issue to campus-level committees. But we want contractual protections; not more paper-shuffling committees! New Article: Employee Offices: The State and SUNY countered with a rejection of our contractual guarantee of employee office space in order to comply with FERPA and ensure student privacy - they instead suggested that employees should simply consult with their departments to secure private accommodations (which we already do!). Article 26: Lists: The State and SUNY refused our proposal to provide basic contact information in our unit lists, making it more difficult for us to contact and represent workers in our unit. Article 14: Bulletin Boards: The State and SUNY proposed allowing campuses to decide whether GSEU will have a physical or digital bulletin board; we countered with required digital boards. Article 23: Personnel Files: The State and SUNY proposed allowing campuses to decide whether personnel files will be stored physically or digitally; we countered with required digital files. New Article: Housing: The State and SUNY directed us to existing campus housing resources and denied the need for housing benefits in our work contract. As for our other proposals on Health and Safety, Parking, Discrimination, and Work Reassignment, we have still received no counters! However, if we can show them that TAs and GAs want these important issues addressed, we'll have more leverage to get stronger agreements at the bargaining table. On Wednesday, October 2, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our seventh bargaining session to negotiate a new contract. The State and SUNY tried to walk back on previously agreed upon articles–which demonstrates their continued inability to meet with us in good faith! They also continued to refuse to provide written counters to the Union’s proposals, highlighting their lack of respect for the bargaining committee and basic negotiating principles. Despite this, we continued to work through several articles:
Article 10: Health and Safety: The Union presented a counter that continues to underscore that graduate workers deserve to have safe working environments. Article 16: Grievance and Arbitration: The State and SUNY continued to refuse to submit a counter in writing to the Union, but would instead prefer to push off discussing this important article until the end of bargaining. Article 20: Notification of Appointment: The Union presented a counter that continued to highlight how full-year appointments with ample notice over work assignments are important for graduate workers–and that tuition waivers are a condition of our employment! New Article: Employee Offices: The State and SUNY have refused to formally submit a written counter to the Union’s proposal, but verbally expressed to the bargaining committee they couldn’t limit the number of employees in a single office. New Article: Re-assignment: The Union proposed a brand new article that provides graduate workers with protections if they are re-assigned work during the academic year. New Article: International Student Worker Rights and Protections: The State and SUNY have refused to formally submit a written counter to the Union’s proposal, but verbally expressed to the bargaining committee that they were disinterested in supporting international workers who may need accommodations in order to take care of visa issues, or other necessary appointments. On Tuesday, September 17, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our sixth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract! We have reached two more tentative agreements on Meeting Space and Academic Freedom. This session we worked through several articles, some of which expanded upon protections provided by current contract articles, and others which would include new protections not current afforded by the collective bargaining agreement:
Article X: Academic Freedom: We reached a tentative agreement on this article, which provides new protections to teaching assistants, including academic freedom for Instructors of Record equal to that of professors! Article 15: Meeting Space: We reached a tentative agreement on this article, allowing Union representatives to better meet with members in a private space! Article 10: Health and Safety: SUNY and the State of New York provided a counter that inadequately addressed the health and safety needs of graduate workers, putting TAs and GAs in danger. Article 20: Notification of Appointment: SUNY and the State of New York provided a counter that made no attempt to consider the discrepancies between departments and SUNY campuses around what offer letters look like; SUNY and the State of New York also made sure to point out that tuition waivers are not conditions of our employment (and we don’t agree!) Article 26: Lists: SUNY and the State of New York provided a counter in which they continued to refuse to give the Union work-place emails for all members of the bargaining unit, inaccurately citing FERPA as their justification. Looking ahead, we’ll be meeting with SUNY and the State of New York at the beginning of October to continue discussions! If you’re interested in participating more in GSEU’s bargaining with SUNY and the State of New York, fill out this form! On Thursday, August 1, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our fifth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract! We have reached our first tentative agreement, so far, on Job Postings. This session we worked through five articles, some of which expanded upon protections provided by current contract articles, and others which would include new protections not current afforded by the collective bargaining agreement:
Article 4: Discrimination: The Union provided yet another counter proposal to the State of New York and SUNY that would allow graduate workers to explicitly grieve a hostile work environment. Article 21: Job Postings: We’ve reached a tentative agreement on this article that would better allow graduate students to find GSEU-eligible positions online! Article 15: Meeting Space: The Union provided a counter proposal to the State of New York and SUNY that would allow GSEU to have office space on SUNY campuses–this better allows GSEU to work with members and would guarantee privacy when talking about difficult or personal topics with your union representative. Article 26: Lists: The Union proposed a revision to a current article that would require Universities and Colleges to provide GSEU with more frequent and accurate lists of employees in the bargaining unit, which would facilitate our communication with you! Article 20: Notification of Appointment: The Union proposed a revision to a current article that asks Universities and Colleges to provide full-year appointments to graduate workers (rather than semester-by-semester basis), as well as Departments having to provide appointment letters well in advance of the start of the academic year. Article X: International Student Worker Rights and Protections: The Union proposed a brand new article that provides protections and support specifically to international graduate workers. Specifically, this article would require Universities and Colleges to provide paid leave to international graduate workers while they manage visa paperwork, as well as provide temporary alternative work assignments in cases when workers cannot return to the US. On Thursday, July 11, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our fourth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract! This session we worked through seven articles, some of which expanded upon protections provided by current contract articles, and others which would include new protections not current afforded by the collective bargaining agreement:
Article 4: Discrimination: The Union provided a counter proposal to the State of New York and SUNY that would allow graduate workers to explicitly grieve a hostile work environment. Article 21: Job Postings: The Union provided a counter proposal to the State of New York and SUNY that would make it easier for graduate students searching for GSEU-eligible positions to find them through platforms like Handshake or respective University HR websites. Article 15: Meeting Space: The Union proposed a revision to a current article that would allow GSEU to have office space on SUNY campuses – this better allows GSEU to work with members and would guarantee privacy when talking about difficult or personal topics with your union representative. Article 10: Health and Safety: The Union proposed a revision to a current article that would widely expand health and safety practices for all graduate workers, including having Universities and Colleges relocate members working in unsafe environments, as well as the creation of a Health and Safety committee that GSEU would have a seat on. Article X: Employee Offices: The Union proposed a brand new article that would codify safe office spaces for all graduate workers. Article X: Academic Freedom: The Union proposed a brand new article that would codify academic freedom protections for all members, which is particularly important for Teaching Assistants! Article X: Housing: The Union proposed a brand new article that would provide financial support for graduate workers in relocating to their respective Universities and Colleges prior to their first year, as well as asking that Universities and Colleges maintain affordable housing. Looking ahead, we’ll be meeting with SUNY and the State of New York at the end of July to continue discussions! If you’re interested in participating more in GSEU’s bargaining with SUNY and the State of New York, fill out this form! On Friday, April 12, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our third bargaining session to negotiate a new contract! The Union began the session by addressing the wide-spread, malicious problem of misclassification; this is when a University or College makes a per-hour student employee do the work of a TA or GA, but doesn’t give that employee the same benefits, health insurance, or salary of a TA or GA. Graduate workers that are doing the work of a teaching or graduate assistant should be compensated at the same rate as their peers!
Article 21: Job Postings: The State of New York and SUNY proposed a counter, to which the Union submitted a revised proposal that would make it easier and clearer for graduate students to seek out and apply for TA and GA positions. Article 4: Discrimination: The State of New York and SUNY proposed a counter where they reserved the right to allow bullying and harassment without Union intervention. The Union is currently working on a revised proposal that would expand current protections against discrimination for graduate workers. Article 16: Grievance and Arbitration: While the State of New York and SUNY rejected our proposal entirely, the Union spent an hour highlighting why a stream-lined, more efficient grievance process is absolutely necessary for graduate workers. Looking ahead, we’ll be meeting with SUNY and the State of New York at the end of April to continue discussions! If you’re interested in participating more in GSEU’s bargaining with SUNY and the State of New York, fill out this form. On Friday, March 1, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our second bargaining session to negotiate a new contract! The State of New York and SUNY wasted the majority of the bargaining session discussing ground rules, rather than actively engaging with any of our proposals in earnest.
Article 21: Job Postings & Article 4: Discrimination: The State of New York and SUNY are still working on counters, even though they’ve had two weeks to prepare their response! Article 16: Grievance and Arbitration: The State of New York and SUNY rejected our proposal entirely–highlighting that they believe that the current broken, ineffective grievance system is acceptable to them. Article 7: Parking: The State of New York and SUNY are planning to come up with a counter once we begin talking about compensation, even though Parking is an immediate urgent concern for everyone. New Article: Prohibition of NDAs on Sexual Harassment: The State of New York and SUNY unfortunately countered this proposal, underscoring that they don’t believe in protecting future victims of sexual harassment if the law changes. On Friday, February 16, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our first bargaining session to negotiate a new contract! This contract sets our base stipends, yearly raises, health insurance, benefits, fund monies, workplace protections, and more, so it's very important that we as graduate workers use our collective power to win the strongest contract possible. If you are a TA/GA and want a say in what this contract covers and a vote on contract ratification, you need to be a signed union member! Sign your card here!
Prior to proposing articles that the Bargaining Committee had already developed, we discussed Ground Rules that would guide our bargaining sessions. In these discussions, GSEU prioritized transparency and open communication with members! GSEU put forward 5 proposals–4 of these proposals were modifications of current articles, and 1 would be a new addition to the contract: Article 21: Job Postings: Our proposal aims to make this language current, letting SUNY campuses post open non-academic GA positions on campus websites Article 16: Grievance and Arbitration: Our proposal streamlines the contract grievance process, making it easier for members to understand, and more efficient Article 7: Parking: We know parking is extremely important, so our proposal aims to make parking free and to award all TAs and GAs access to faculty and staff-designated parking lots Article 4: Discrimination: Our proposal updates contract language to make it more aligned with state law and would provide graduate workers with a new avenue of recourse for mistreatment in the workplace New Article: Prohibition of NDAs on Sexual Harassment: This new proposal protects everyone’s health and safety, and simply reinforces what is currently New York state law Looking ahead, we’ll be meeting with SUNY and the State of New York in early March to continue discussions! We've been looking for member input ahead of bargaining. If you haven't yet filled out your bargaining survey, please take a few moments to let your Bargaining Committee know what you'd like to prioritize in our new contract.
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