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Despite major victories for college campuses, compensation package remains far from acceptable  On Tuesday, March 11th, GSEU met with SUNY and the State of New York to hold our twelfth bargaining session to negotiate a new contract. After a coordinated rally and petition drop at the Governor's Office in Albany, GSEU received victories at the bargaining table.
Here is what happened at the last session: Compensation: Following the rally participated by GSEU members from SUNY campuses across the state, for the first time since the founding of GSEU, NYS and SUNY proposed a minimum base stipend ($5,000 a year) for Full Time GAs and TAs working at the SUNY colleges. This is despite repeated reluctance from NYS and SUNY to impose any such wage-based guidelines to the colleges outside of the University Centers. Additionally, NYS and SUNY indicated, for the first time in bargaining, a willingness to forgo their typical pattern of raising wages based on small percentages spread across the lifetime of the contract, and raised the baseline on wages for full time GAs and TAs at University Centers to $15,778 at the end of the contract. Despite these victories, however, compensation rates offered by NYS and SUNY remain unacceptable and unlivable. The new offer, which would only be in effect starting in Fall 2026, is still barely over what could be made working 20 hours a week at NYS minimum wage in Upstate, and lower than NYS minimum wage for 20 hours of year-long work in Westchester, NYC and Long Island. Additionally, NYS and SUNY admitted that they do not believe stipends should be based on cost of living, or competitive with peer institutions and are adamant that allowing GAs and TAs second jobs to supplement their living expenses could slow their academic progress. GSEU believes that making academic progress is a critical aspect of being a working graduate student and continues to strongly advocate for a wage that would allow TAs and GAs to support themselves without the need for additional employment. Insurance: NYS and SUNY proposed switching to the Advanced Flexible Formulary, which determines which drugs are eligible to be covered through insurance, at no additional increase in copays to members. Any prescription drugs that may be excluded with this change have one or more therapeutic equivalents (many have generic options that are much cheaper for all parties), and a prescription drug coverage appeal process remains available to members and their prescribing doctors. Length of Appointment Side Letter: NYS and SUNY presented a Side Letter stating that where funding is available, SUNY campuses will be encouraged to provide GAs and TAs with year long appointment contracts in lieu of single semester appointments. NYS and SUNY will send communication to all campuses that employ GAs and TAs that this is the preferred practice of employment.
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The rally on Wed, Feb 26th, was an incredible moment for our community. UB graduate workers, undergraduate students, faculty, and staff stood united, alongside community members from UAPD, UUP, CSEA, NYSUT, and WNYCOSH. The smiling faces and uplifting energy of participants was proof that our community is one of joyous rebellion, that standing up for and alongside each other is what being in community is all about. The solidarity sent a strong message: we—graduate workers at UB, Buffalo State College, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, and all the other SUNY campuses—are not backing down until we win the fair contract we deserve.
Check out the fresh coverage from WBFO NPR!
Meanwhile in Albany, over 200 graduate workers and allies rallied in front of the NY state capitol. They fought to pass Bill S.3458/A.5457 to end unfair student fees and demand a fair contract! Our bargaining petition was delivered to Governor Kathy Hochul.
This rally marks a major step forward in our fight for better wages, improved working conditions, and the respect that all graduate workers deserve. We deeply appreciate everyone who attended, spread the word, and supported us in person and from afar. Special thanks to our allied unions:
We would love to hear testimonials from anyone who attended yesterday—send us your feedback and stories! This is just the beginning. Today, Feb 28th, 2025, marks 608 days that TAs and GAs have been working without a contract. “No Contract, No Peace” is not just a chant; it is our reality until our demands are met. Our next bargaining session is next Wed, Mar 5th. Let’s keep the pressure on, together. Stay tuned, and sign up for your union membership now! 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. 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. |
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