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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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