Key Points (TL;DR)

• The Bargaining Committee made counterproposals on:

  • Appointments and Assignments

  • Tuition and Fee Waivers

  • Workload and Work Expectations

  • International Graduate Employees

  • Childcare and Healthcare
    Compensation

• The Bargaining Committee also made proposals on:

  • Economic Parity

  • Summer Appointments and Assignments

  • Officer Compensation

• We agreed to:

  • Childcare Services

  • International Graduate Employees

  • Workload and Work Expectations

  • Appointments and Assignments

  • Second Job

Summary

The Bargaining Committee met on January 15th, a day before class starts for the Spring semester for eight and a half hours to end the “Bargaining Blitz.”

Tentative Agreements

Article on International Graduate Employees: A large barrier to entry for International Graduate Workers is the SEVIS and Visa fees. We proposed creating a $60k fund to cover SEVIS and Visa fees. We agreed to a $50k hardship fund, which could be used for economic hardships for international graduate workers or Visa and SEVIS fees.

We also proposed and agreed that the side letter that the University offered on January 11th establishing a Working Group on Housing for International Graduate Assistants be referenced in the article for International Graduate Workers. This is to ensure discussion between the Working Group on Housing and Labor Management Committee on changing the living conditions of International Graduate Workers finding a place to live in Syracuse.

Article on Childcare Services: We proposed that the University put language in the Childcare and Healthcare article to enshrine the priority status of enrolling children in the Bernice M. Wright School and Early Education and Childcare Center. We agreed to a $1500 subsidy per child for up to two children and a guarantee that Graduate Workers will receive priority in enrolling in daycare services on campus.

Article on Workload and Work Expectations: This article outlines that our work expectations will continue to be 20 hours per week. This article also clarifies that while some partial appointments do exist, both parties expect that 20 hour appointments will continue to be the norm for graduate employee positions within our bargaining unit.

Article on Appointments and Assignments: This article states that appointments shall typically be for two semesters. Resonable efforts must also be made to inform GA’s of their role at least 6o days prior to the start of their position.

Article on Second Job: This article guarantees that Graduate Assistants (including those on 20 hours appointments) may attain a second job if they choose, including additional on-campus employment (so long as the on-campus positions don’t exceed 30 cumulative hours per week).

Counterproposals

Healthcare Services: In addition to the agreements we reached today, we made a counter on Healthcare Services. The bargaining committee is continuing to bargain for fully subsidized individual healthcare premiums and a 50% subsidy for the other healthcare plan tiers (i.e. those with dependents, spouses, etc.).

Due to our continued concern over those who are confronted with high out of pocket costs (i.e. those who spend close to the out-of-pocket maximum), we also proposed a $80,000 fund for anyone who uses at least $500 in out-of-pocket expenses for large expenses and 100% preventive dental coverage. The University has offered $50,000 for this Graduate Assistant Healthcare Support fund. However, the University has stated they will not move towards fully subsidized individual healthcare.

Compensation: SGEU’s counterproposal maintains our position of five years of guaranteed funding for PhDs and two years of funding for Masters. The University countered with an acknowledgment that they will attempt to provide four years of funding for Ph.D. seeking Graduate Assistants, but there is no language for Masters seeking Graduate Assistants.

In response to our continued pushback regarding the lack of additional pay for those serving as Instructors of Record, the University has proposed a $500 bonus (in addition to your 9 month stipend) for Graduate Assistants who teach a course for the first time.

Concerning base compensation, we amended our initial proposal, suggesting a flat minimum stipend (not tiered) of $40,000— an amount that would help ensure adequate financial resources year round for SU graduate employees and allow us to truly thrive!

Tuition and Fee Waivers: We asked to enshrine the tuition remission that all Graduate Assistants receive and the ability to bargain over changes in student fees. The response from the University was that PhD seeking Graduate Assistants may receive a remission, but there is currently no language regarding graduate employees who are masters students.

New Proposals

Economic Parity: We proposed that any Fellow, worker on internship, training grants, or on clinical rotation would be in economic parity with all members covered by this agreement. We are committed to recognizing the work of fellows and that they deserve the same rights as Graduate Assistants. With this proposal, we are one step closer to making this happen.

Summer Appointments and Assignments: This proposal guarantees that any graduate worker may receive a summer assistantship if they choose.

Officer Compensation: Once members officially ratify our first Collective Bargaining Agreement, we will be tasked with electing our union leadership (e.g. chair, vice-chair, chief steward, etc…). In other professions/industries, labor union officers are often granted what’s referred to as “union release time”. This is paid time off for union officers who are actively tending to union matters (such as assisting a union member with a grievance). Given the importance of our graduate employee work to our professional development, we feel that release time would prohibit many members from seeking elected officer roles. Accordingly, we verbally indicated our desire for a provision that would provide a monetary bonus to members serving in future elected officer roles.

What Happens Next?

The Bargaining Committee intends to meet with the University in the near future, but no dates have been provided yet. We expect to hear responses on Compensation and Healthcare, two big issues that we campaigned on while forming our union. Despite not reaching a collective agreement, we are looking forward to working with the University to negotiate the contract that we are all fighting for. If you want to be involved there will be many opportunities this Spring semester to make your voice heard.

Key Points (TL;DR)

• SGEU Bargaining Committee Continued to Contemplate to Response to SU’s Economic Counterproposals

• An SGEU Counterproposal is being prepared for Monday

Summary

After receiving a first comprehensive offer from the University the previous session, no new articles or counters crossed the table today. SGEU Bargaining Committee members spent the majority of the session assessing the proposal from the University and developing a counteroffer to be proposed on Monday 1/15. The University was updated on this plan for a counter on their proposal, and bargaining will resume on Monday.

Key Points (TL;DR)

• Three New Tentative Agreements were reached today:

  • Professional Development

  • Bargaining Unit Information/FERPA

  • New Graduate Employee Experience/Orientation

• The University presented another counterproposal on regarding “International Graduate Assistants”

• University presented their first economic counterproposals

Summary

Three New Tentative Agreements

Professional Development

According to this article, the University will reimburse fees, transportation, and lodging funds for professional development and academic service events with pre-approval. Additionally, it enshrines that GAs are to approach their own departments for reimbursement first and then other funding sources.

Bargaining Unit Information and FERPA Waiver

This article specifies what information and when the Union will receive it. Directory information will be provided two weeks before an employee orientation. Non-directory information will be provided for those who sign a FERPA release waiver.

New Graduate Assistant Experience/Orientation

This article provides SGEU 45 minutes during the graduate student orientation to discuss union membership that will occur once a semester.

Key Points (TL;DR)

THREE new tentative agreements were reached today:
Professional Development
Bargaining Unit Information/FERPA
New Graduate Assistant Experience/Orientation
The University Presented another counterproposal to International Graduate Assistants article
University presented their first offer on economics


Summary

Three new tentative Agreements

Professional Development

According to this article, the University will reimburse fees, transportation, and lodging funds for professional development and academic service events with pre-approval. Additionally, it enshrines that GAs are to ask the department for reimbursement first and then other funding sources.

Bargaining Unit Information and FERPA Waiver

This article specifies what information and when the Union will receive it. Directory information will be provided two weeks before an employee orientation. Non-directory information will be provided for those who sign a FERPA release waiver.

New Graduate Assistant Experience/Orientation

This article provides SGEU 45 minutes during the graduate student orientation to discuss union membership that will occur once a semester.

Update on International Graduate Assistants

The university presented new developments regarding our concerns for summer housing for incoming first year international graduate employees—ensuring that have a safe place to arrive to and acclimate while they search for permanent housing. As of now, the University’s stance is that due to upcoming housing plans for the university, they cannot in good faith guarantee anything. Instead, they offered:

• an International Graduate Assistant Economic Hardship Fund of $20,000 per Fiscal Year with a $500 cap per international Graduate Assistant.

• A commitment from Gretchen Ritter and Allen Groves to establish a working group that will assess specific housing challenges faced by graduate assistants and create a plan with recommendations to address issues.

The SGEU bargaining committee has yet to respond to this proposal and negotiations are ongoing.

First Comprehensive Economic Offer

The university presented its first comprehensive offer regarding economics that includes:

• Childcare benefits

• Health benefits

• Compensation

Childcare Benefits

This university proposal would provide a subsidy for $1,500 per child with a maximum subsidy of $3,000 for Graduate Assistants earning less than $65,000 in household income per year with a child under the age of 6.

Health Benefits

• This article continues the 76.6% subsidy of the Student Health Insurance Plan for graduate assistants with a continuation of the payment plan option currently in place.

• Graduate assistants are eligible for 75% subsidy for the preventative dental plan, and the university will pay the equivalent of that subsidy toward the comprehensive dental plan if the GA elects that plan.

• The university will establish a Graduate Assistant Healthcare Support Fund of $20,000 per Fiscal Year to the fund with reimbursements capped at $500 per Graduate Assistant.

Compensation

SU’s initial compensation proposal seeks to continue the status quo—with no meaningful wage raises on SUs campus. They proposed:

• A minimum stipend of $23,000 for PhD students

• A minimum sipend of 20,900 for Masters students

• More “Cost-of-Living” increases of approximately 2.25% for those earning above the minimum

• Stipends would continue to be pro-rated for those working on less than 20-hour appointments

The SGEU Bargaining Committee finds these proposals unacceptable. As we’ve stated from the outset, members have made clear that the status quo is unacceptable, not providing graduate employees with the means they need to live decent and respectable lives in Syracuse. Negotiations will continue.

What Happens Next

The Bargaining Committee's next bargaining session is January 12, 2023. As announced over email, the bargaining committee will be holding a PRESS CONFERENCE AT 11:30AM ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 16th, at HENDRICKS CHAPEL, to provide important updates on our contract negotiations. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE!

Key Points (TL;DR)

• THREE new tentative agreements were reached today:

  • Sick Leave

  • Family and Medical Leave

  • Other Time Off

• University Presented a counterproposal to our
  International Graduate Assistants article

• A second presentation on Student Healthcare Insurance policies was made by the University

Summary

Three New Tentative Agreements

Sick Leave

According to this article, we are now able to request sick time for personal and familial reasons. We have 56 hours of sick leave per calendar year. We must provide notice to our supervisor or department chair as we know that we need sick leave. This is a big win for our unit! Our strength has allowed us to have access to sick leave that goes above and beyond what the law says.

Family and Medical Leave

This article is another big win for us and the working conditions for graduate working parents on campus. Graduate Assistants are now eligible for eight weeks of paid parental leave. This leave is accessible to both birthing and non-birthing parents, in addition to Graduate Assistants who are adopting a child. In this article, we also retain access to all other laws and statutes that fall under family and medical leave, such as FMLA and NYPL. We are now one step closer to improving the conditions of all Graduate Assistants who have a family to take care of or are interested in starting a family.

Other Time Off

What this article outlines are time off for things such as vacations, university holidays, inclement weather, civic duty, such as jury duty and voting, and bereavement.

This includes:

• Inclement weather: The ability to perform duties remotely in cases of inclement weather. If our work is identified as essential to the running of a lab, course, or other duty, this status must be made before the closing of the University and reasonable efforts must be made to distribute this work evenly amongst all Graduate Assistants.

• Vacation: Graduate Assistants are now entitled to four days off per semester during the academic year without a reduction in pay. This time may roll over into the Spring semester if not used in the Fall.

• Bereavement: In the event of a death in the family, Graduate Assistants may ask for up to three days of bereavement without a reduction in pay. This bereavement may be extended up to seven days for religious observances, emotional distress, or in cases where there is a logistical difficulty, such as international travel.

• Election leave: Graduate Assistants are guaranteed time off to vote in elections and if extra time is needed to vote in international elections, we may use vacation time and these requests shall not be unreasonably denied.

• Military and Jury: This article also includes language on military leaves under all applicable laws and leaves for jury duty.

• These are all big wins for us as we have been fighting for the past year for guaranteed time off and paid sick days. Our voices are being heard by the University and we are making it clear that have a right to have an environment that treats us with respect and dignity.

Article on International Graduate Assistants

This article outlines the continued conversation that we are having with the University on the needs of International Graduate Assistants at Syracuse University. What the University proposed was:

• Fully subsidized access to tax preparations through the Center of International Services.

• Eligibility for re-employment for International Graduate Assistants if they were unable to work due to their immigration status.

• A session on payroll, social security, and tax withholdings in the mandatory Graduate Assistant orientation.

• Five days of leave for their immigration proceedings, the proceedings of an immediate family member, or for their spouse or domestic partner.

• A commitment to work with the Center for International Services to develop lists of in-person and local resources for tax preparation, and to provide information on their website regarding F1 and J1 visa eligibility and benefits.

The SGEU bargaining committee refused to sign off on this counterproposal as it fails to address several economic and benefit-focused provisions we are seeking for graduate employees. Negotiations on this article continue.

Discussion on Healthcare Benefits and Comparison between Student Healthcare Insurance Plans and Faculty Insurance Plans

The University made an additional presentation on healthcare. This was to provide historical context as to how Graduate Assistants came to be on the current Student Healthcare Insurance Plan. In this presentation, there was also an emphasis on the difference in costs between the current Student Healthcare Insurance Plan and the Faculty Healthcare Insurance Plan. This conversation sets up the table for discussing the Childcare and Healthcare benefits proposal that the University will present in the next bargaining session.

What Happens Next

The Bargaining Committee’s next bargaining session is January 11, 2023, and we expect to hear responses on Childcare and Healthcare benefits. The University has committed to reaching a full agreement by the start of the semester and all that is left from them are proposals on Healthcare and Compensation. We are looking forward to seeing what they propose and negotiating the contract that we all fighting for.

Key Points (TL;DR)

• SU responded to a broad slate of non-economic articles we proposed prior to the holiday break

• SGEU responded to SU’s proposed “no-strike no-lockout” and “Policies and Procedures” articles

• 7 Tentative Agreements were reached:

  • Health and Safety

  • Transportation

  • Intellectual Property and Academic Integrity

  • Employment Security

  • Workspace and Materials

  • Policies and Procedures

  • Side Letter of Agreement—Pronoun, Gender, and Preferred Name Council

Summary

The SU and SGEU bargaining teams met for a six hour bargaining session on Monday, January 8th, 2024—the first of four bargaining sessions scheduled for the week prior to the start of the semester.

SU responded to a broad slate of non-economic articles we proposed prior to the holiday break

In November, the SGEU bargaining committee presented a slate of over 20 conceptual proposals tied directly to the SGEU platform that was developed from member feedback during the campaign, data from our bargaining priorities survey (completed by the majority of SGEU members), and extensive research on other grad employee bargaining agreements. As indicated before the break, SU responded to these proposals in bulk— nine proposals in total— to begin this full week of bargaining sessions. These counterproposals included: “Professional Development”; “Workspace and Materials”; “Appointments and Assignments”; “Workload and Work Expectations”; “Health and Safety”; “Intellectual Property and Academic Integrity”; “Employment Security”; “Transportation”; and an article on “International Graduates Assistants” (See more info below).

SGEU responded to SU’s proposed “no-strike no-lockout” and “Policies and Procedures” articles
In addition to SU’s proposals, SGEU offered counterproposals to SU’s standing “Policies and Procedures” and “No-Strike No-Lockout” articles. “Policies and Procedures” is an article that seeks to acknowledge pre-existing policies on SU’s campus and individual departments/programs—especially those that are non-employment related. At the outset of this proposal, SGEU’s main concern was the potential presence of work-related policies housed within handbooks that graduate employees and students receive from their departments and programs. SU collected the majority of these departmental handbooks and delivered them to the SGEU bargaining committee for review before the holiday break—through which we confirmed policies pertaining our graduate employee roles. This is concerning due to potential contradictions that may arise between departmental policy and our collective bargaining agreement. Therefore, SGEU offered a counterproposal that clearly states that while departmental handbooks will remain in effect, “…in all instances when this collective bargaining agreement addresses the subject matter [in those handbooks] the collective bargaining agreement will prevail”. Following some discussion, tentative agreement on this article was reached.

SGEU also responded to SU’s proposed “No Strike No Lockout” article. No Strike clauses/articles generally ensure that strikes will not occur while a member-ratified collective bargaining agreement is in effect (most strikes generally occur during negotiation phases after contracts have expired). While such articles are common in ratified collective bargaining agreements (including grad employee contracts), SGEU was concerned with the broad and sweeping nature of SU’s multi-page proposal, which not only barred strikes but also a collection of other actions, including: picketing, handbilling, boycotting, “demonstrations”, “…or any other type of job action or economic pressure or disruptive activity of any king (including, without limitation… ‘corporate campaigns’, or any such pressure tactics”. SGEU responded with a more limited counterproposal that focused solely on strikes (not all the additional actions mentioned in SU’s proposal). SU rejected our counterproposal outright.

Tentative Agreements were reached

Out of SUs nine new counterproposals, tentative agreement was reached on five of them.

Health and Safety

This article contractually enshrines our right to working in a safe workplace. In addition to ensuring that all parties will comply with applicable labor safety law and SU safety policies, it clearly indicates that no Graduate Assistant will be required to work in imminently dangerous conditions, nor face relation for reporting unsafe working conditions. Moreover, the University shall provide any necessary Personal Protective Equipment.

Transportation

This article tasks the newly formed Labor Management Committee with identifying ways to assist graduate employees in acquiring New York driver’s licenses and effectively community changes in university transportation resources (e.g. bus schedules and parking policy). Following further discussion, SGEU was able to add a clause that will allow the union to designate one SGEU member to serve on the University’s Parking Committee.

Intellectual Property and Academic Integrity

This article clearly applies existing SU policies on the “Ownership and Management of Intellectual Property” to graduate employees and specifies that graduate employees who make good-faith reports asserting their rights (in the event their intellectual property was stolen by a colleague, student, or faculty member) shall not be retaliated against.

Employment Security

In the context of our campaign and subsequent bargaining-focused surveys and discussions, the SGEU bargaining committee heard of circumstances where graduate employees were left in precarious circumstances in the event of their advisor’s departure from the university—not only jeopardizing their studies, but also their employment and livelihood. This employment security article states that the university must make reasonable efforts to re-appoint a graduate employee impacted by the death, departure, or prolonged absence of their supervisor.

*This does not speak to years of guaranteed funding, which we have already indicated to the SU team that we intend on discussing in the context of other articles.

Workspace and Materials

This agreed-upon article establishes that no graduate employee should be forced to cover expenses for job-related materials or equipment. Following ratification of this contract, “the university shall reimburse the graduate assistant for the purchase of all authorized or pre-approved materials, equipment, or services necessary to the perforamnce of their employment duties (e.g. special software and subscriptions)…”. Additionally, this article tasks the Labor Management Committee to work with representatives from Campus Facilities to identify and set aside a common working space of graduate assistants who currently lack a space to assist students they are assisted in their TA capacities.

Other Notes

In addition to the aforementioned tentative agreements, both parties signed a side letter of agreement that states SGEU will be allocated a seat on the Pronoun, Gender, and Preferred Name council. While SU also proposed articles pertaining to “professional development”, “appointment and assignments”, “workload and work expectations”, and “international graduate employees”. The SGEU bargaining committee felt that these articles, as written, fell short in addressing key protections we are seeking to prevent abusive labor practices (e.g. unpaid and excessive overtime) and economic concerns we expressed prior to the break. Negotiations on these articles will continue, likely alongside other explicitly economic articles.

What’s Next

The SGEU bargaining committee is meeting with SU a total of four times in the week prior to the start of the semester. As bargaining begins to pivot towards key economic and benefits concerns (e.g. compensation and healthcare), it is vital that all SGEU members stay closely informed. As announced over email, the bargaining committee will be holding a PRESS CONFERENCE AT 11:30AM ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 16th, at HENDRICKS CHAPEL, to provide important updates on our contract negotiations. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE!

Key Points (TL;DR)

• FIVE new tentative agreements were reached

  • “Non-discrimination”

  • “Discipline & Discharge”

  • “Academic Freedom”

  • “Union Security”

  • “Duration of Agreement”

• Discussion on Health Benefits and Presentation from SU Healthcare Administrators

Summary

Five New Tentative Agreements

Academic Freedom

In light of the current campus climate, SGEU Bargaining Committee flagged the urgent need for the University to address concerns around Graduate Assistants’ rights to Academic Freedom. Today, we were able to finally reach an agreement with the University around an article to be enshrined in our new collective bargaining agreement protecting our rights to Academic Freedom. This article gives Graduate Assistants rights to the same protections SU faculty have around academic freedom, as described in SU’s Faculty Handbook. This is a huge win for us - and the success of this tentative agreement is due to the support of our membership that we showed to SU. We made it clear that this was an important matter to our unit, and SU listened.

Non-discrimination

This tentative agreement was another big win for SGEU. Since our last round of negotiations on our “Non-discrimination” article, many big changes were made to the latest counter proposal from SU. We were able to expand our list of clearly defined protected categories in our statement of No-discrimination or Harassment. We came to agreement on a clearly outlined process for filing claims in cases of Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation, or violations of our rights under Title IX. An important win in this section is language stating our right to appeal decisions and ability to go to arbitration. Also included in this article are:

1. Processes for Interim Relief and Protections in the case of a Graduate Assistant filing a claim and needing interim measures or protections while awaiting a resolution for the case.

2. Language on our rights to seek accommodations (i.e. for disabilities, religious holidays) within our roles as employees at SU, not just as students.

3. The University’s commitment to honoring Graduate Assistants’ preferred names/pronouns in the University system (documents, communications, etc.).

4. Commitment to address several issues SGEU rose during the bargaining process through the Labor Management Committee, within the first year of the duration of the collective bargaining agreement.

Discipline & Discharge

This article outlines circumstances under which a Graduate Assistant can be subject to internal discipline with the University (these standards are referred to as “just cause” in this TA). The article also outlines terms under which a Graduate Assistant could be terminated by the University. SGEU Bargaining Committee advocated for a system in which discipline is progressive, where a Graduate Employee would be given ample warning, notice, and communication before an issue would be escalated to formal disciplinary action. The University agreed with us, and this article describes the process for progressive discipline. This article also describes circumstances which are excluded from disciplinary action, specifically circumstances that are fully purposed for a Graduate Assistants’ professional development (i.e. teaching evaluations or classroom evaluations).

Union Security

This article is commonly found in many collective bargaining agreements. Essentially, this article empowers the Union to enforce rules and regulations, and also allows us to collect dues from our members. SGEU’s article encompassing Union Security does several things:

1. Secures our membership in the Union for the duration of the contract

2. Defines what membership in SGEU means and our rights pertaining to Union membership.

3. Defines dues and describes a process for collecting dues.

Duration of Agreement

Language in this article simply states that the terms of the Agreement in its entirety will remain in full force up to the date that the Agreement ends. Then, within 90 days of the Agreement’s termination, SGEU and the University may begin bargaining on the next collective bargaining agreement.

SU’s Presentation on Healthcare + Benefits

The University invited two administrators from the Barnes Center (Director of Health and the Associated VP of Student Health and Wellness) to provide context and detail on what our Student Health Insurance Plan covers. Both sides agreed to table this conversation for the new year, and SGEU committed to re-examining information provided and compiling a list of questions for the University to inform both sides in crafting the next version of the Healthcare and Benefits counter proposal.

What comes next

The Bargaining Committee’s next bargaining session is January 8, 2024, and will kick off an exciting week-long bargaining session. The University has committed to putting forth best efforts to finish a tentative collective bargaining agreement. SGEU’s Bargaining Committee is excited to meet SU’s bargaining team at the table in the new year, and negotiate a strong contract that will benefit all graduate workers at SU! Stay tuned!

(TL;DR)

• SGEU presented a counterproposal on “Non-Discrimination”

• Further negotiations on “Discipline and Discharge” occurred, with both sides offering counterproposals

• SGEU reminded SU that we are waiting for counterproposals on Academic Freedom and Union Security

Summary

The SGEU and SU bargaining committees met for a 3-hour bargaining session on Monday, November 27th, 2023.

SGEU presented a counterproposal on “Non-Discrimination”

This session began with SGEU offering a counterproposal to SU’s original Non-Discrimination proposal. Our counterproposal added additional protected identities to the article’s language, including parental/care-giver status, socioeconomic background, arrest record, political affiliations, and caste. This counterproposal also specifically alluded to the broader phenomenon of bullying, making clear that persistent bullying will be subjected to the same remedial processes as discrimination claims.

Further negotiations on “Discipline and Discharge” occurred

SGEU also presented a counterproposal to SU’s “Discipline and Discharge” proposal. One of the primary points of concern the SGEU bargaining committee had with SU’s original proposal was a clause that stated “non-reappointment or the failure to offer an appointment to a graduate assistant shall not be considered the same as discharge and may not be grieved”. We find this to be an untenable position that would continue to leave graduate employers in precarious situation year to year, unsure whether they have job security for the upcoming year. We made clear to SU that we expect to establish a clear expectation of continued employment for graduate employees. Therefore, our counterproposal stated that the aforementioned clause is only applicable to masters student beyond year two, and PhD students beyond year 5; effectively ensuring continued employment (baring discharge due to ‘just cause’ or academic dismissal) for those time periods. Other amendments included in our counterproposal included a provision that established discipline should be corrective (not punitive) in nature, and occur in private (not in the presence of your colleagues, with the exception of union representation).

SU responded to our counterproposal, with the primary point of disagreement being the clause concerning non-reappointment. At this time, SU’s position is that our concern over guaranteed years of employment/funding is a primarily economic issue, and would be more appropriately addressed in an economics-focused article. The SGEU bargaining committee is still reviewing this counterproposal and will respond in the coming weeks.

SGEU reminded SU that we are waiting for counterproposals on Academic Freedom and Union Security

To conclude, we reminded the SU bargaining team that we are still waiting on counterproposals concerning Academic Freedom and Union Security. Academic Freedom, and the importance of this topic to our membership, has been discussed at length at several bargaining sessions the last month and a half. Despite these verbal exchanges, we have yet to see our discussions manifest in the form of a counterproposal. Similarly, we have yet to get a response to our proposal on Union Security, which includes language that will help ensure the long-term health and sustainability of our union. We hope to see counterproposals on both of these topics in the near future.

What’s Next?

We have one more bargaining session scheduled prior a brief winter interlude. Following a December break, we have a slate of January bargaining sessions schedules prior to the start of the Spring semester. We expect to hear initial responses to the collection of economic- and benefits-related proposals that we provided SU on November 21st, with the hope that we’ll make significant progress on these topics prior to the start of the Spring Semester.

(TL; DR)

• The SGEU Bargaining Committee gave an hour-long presentation about the graduate employee experience at SU, contextualizing a slate of economic- and benefits-related proposals

• SGEU Bargaining Committee presented 23 conceptual proposals based on the platform we announced earlier this semester, including proposals on Compensation, Healthcare, Parental Benefits, and International Graduate Employee Support
  

• The SU and SGEU negotiating teams agreed to a slate of bargaining sessions in early January, with the goal of making significant progress prior to the start of the Spring semester.

Summary

The SGEU Bargaining Committee met with the SU negotiating team for a full 8 hours (9am-5pm) on Monday, November 20th. This was an especially notable bargaining session, as SGEU presented a slate of economic- and benefits-related proposals, all of which were informed by data collected from 1-on-1 conversations during our campaign, the bargaining priorities survey filled out by the majority of our members, and further research and advice from our contract issue groups.

The SGEU Bargaining Committee gave an hour-long presentation about the graduate employee experience at SU

Before our conceptual proposals were presented, the SGEU Bargaining Committee gave an approximately 1 hour presentation focused on the variety of hardships graduate employees face at SU, as well as the broader graduate employee experience. The purpose of this presentation was to contextualize the conceptual proposals subsequently given to the SU negotiating team. Throughout this presentation, the need for significant improvements to graduate employee compensation, benefits, and workplace protections, were elucidated by the stories of specific SGEU members who agreed to share their experiences with the SGEU and SU bargaining committees. These stories were further contextualized with a variety of data sourced from 1-on-1 conversations during the SGEU campaign, the bargaining priorities survey filled out by a majority of our members, and other third-party resources (e.g. inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; Cost of Living data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator). Following the conclusion of our presentation, both teams briefly moved in prior caucus for a quick break prior to the presentation of conceptual proposals.

SGEU Bargaining Committee presented 25 conceptual proposals based on the platform we announced earlier this semester

SGEU presented a total of 25 conceptual proposals during the November 20th bargaining session. While this summary will focus on a collection of key points, all of the aforementioned proposals can be read in full, exactly as they were presented to SU, on the SGEU bargaining tracker. While these proposals were “conceptual” in nature (meaning they are not written in the legal terminology and structure that final contract articles typically take), each proposal made clear and explicit demands related to key planks of the SGEU platform:

Compensation

SGEU presented a three-tier pay structure based on years of graduate employee service at SU and progression through one’s academic program, with minimum entry-level base compensation (for the typical 9 month contract) starting at $42,313. Additionally, given the difference between traditional TA responsibilities (e.g. leading discussion sections, grading, etc…) and the responsibilities of those serving as sole instructors of record, additional bonus compensation was proposed for graduate employees serving as instructors of record.

In addition to providing SU graduate employees with the resources they need to thrive year round, it is SGEU’s belief that our proposed pay table will make graduate employment (and the corresponding education) more accessible to a broader swath of the global population (rather than just those of particular means). Moreover, we believe that these amounts are representative of the overall value and prestige graduate employees bring to Syracuse University, whose own financial reports have acknowledged “across-the-board increases in all revenue categories” (p. 8) and the “largest incoming [undergraduate] class in the University’s history”, ultimately producing net operational surpluses of $67.8 million ($1.15 billion in total revenue) and $116 million ($1.3 billion in total revenue) during fiscal years 2022 and 2023 respectively.

International Graduate Employee Experience

An article specifically focused on International Graduate Employee support and benefits was proposed by SGEU. Key provisions in this proposed article include: university-provided summer housing for incoming first-year international graduate employees; reimbursement of the SEVIS fee; access to a J-1 Visa (as opposed to F-1) for those who choose; and additional support and resources dedicated to helping international graduate employees maneuver the US tax system. SGEU also proposed a separate “Moving and Relocation” expenses article, which would provide $3,000 per international student to help offset the costs of relocation and cover initial apartment costs (e.g. security deposit) prior to receiving their first paycheck.

Family and Parental Support

To help address the crisis of access to affordable childcare impacting SU Graduate Employees, SGEU presented a multi-pronged proposal aimed at increasing childcare subsidies and ensuring that all SU graduate employees with children are promptly made aware of the breadth of childcare supports SU provides (either when they first become employed or become a parent). The subsidy proposed by SGEU totals $6768 per child under the age of 6.

Healthcare

SGEU’s healthcare benefits proposal aims to expand access to specialty and mental healthcare while reducing the direct economic burden on SU graduate employees. Given the complex nature of healthcare insurance plans in the US, further details and amendments to this proposal will happen as negotiations involving the SU bargaining team and SU healthcare administrators unfold. Under SGEU’s proposal, unionized graduate employees would have their monthly healthcare premiums fully covered by the university (including vision and dental premiums). Concerning changes to the benefits laid-out in our healthcare coverage:

1. SGEU noted the need for expanded access to mental healthcare through a combination of increased on-campus mental healthcare capacity (especially in relation to psychiatric services) and expanded coverage off-campus mental healthcare providers

2. Coverage of gender-affirming care for graduate employees and any covered spouses/dependents

3. Expansion of in-network specialty care

To address member concerns regarding our high out-of-pocket maximums, SGEU proposed bringing out out-of-pocket maximums in line with the maximums contained in other healthcare plans administered by SU (i.e. the healthcare plans available to faculty and SU staff), as well as the establishment of an emergency student support fund to assist graduate employees with excessive out-of-pocket medical expenses. To ensure graduate employee input on future healthcare plan development, we are also requesting that SGEU representatives be allotted a seat on the Student Healthcare Advisory Committee and Benefits Advisory Committee moving forward.

Diversity, Harassment, and Inclusion

Three separate articles were presented by the bargaining committee members chairing the contract issue group on harassment and discrimination—with all articles thematically linked by the overarching goal of ensuring SU cultivates a truly inclusive and accessible workplace.

First, an article on “Employee Accommodations” was presented. This article acknowledges the distinction between accommodations that may be granted to us as students vs accommodations that may be granted to us in our role as employees. Among other things, this proposal would require for SU to clearly communicate the process for acquiring employee accommodations in relevant onboarding and orientation materials when we are first hired as graduate employees.

An article on “Harassment, Bullying, and Interim protections” was also presented. While negotiations on the previously proposed non-discrimination article continue, this new article reflects our view that a more encompassing approach to building an inclusive workplace is needed. This article explicitly identifies misgendering and deadnaming (i.e. referring to someone by a name which they do not wish to be referred to as) as a form of harassment. Moreover, it clarifies that bullying (and specific behaviors that qualify as such) also constitutes harassment. Given the power-differential between graduate assistants and their immediate supervisors, language was added to this proposal that would offer grad assistants interim protections in the event that they report discrimination, bullying, or harassment, including but not limited to a change in work station, change in schedule, or change in position.

The third proposal, titled “Inclusive Work Environment”, addresses a range of concerns, including access to gender-affirming bathrooms, access to time and space for religious practices (i.e. prayer) during the workday and adequate availability of lactation rooms.

Workplace Protections

SGEU also proposed a large collection of articles (15 total) focused on the broader category of “workplace protections”. These articles address policies and specific language regarding workplace expectations (e.g. hours we’re expected or forced to work), guaranteed time off (including holidays), intellectual property policies, etc… Proposed articles included, among other things:

1. Workspace and Materials: Would provide assurance that graduate employees will be reimbursed for the purchase of necessary classroom materials and that the university will provide graduate employees with workspaces (e.g. a desk, a graduate bay, etc..) that is wheelchair accessible and has functioning heat and air conditioning.

2. Appointments and Assignments: Would require incoming graduate employees to be notified of their appointment no less than 2 months prior to the semester (Returning graduate employees would be notified if their fall work assignment during the preceding Spring semester); Establishes 9 months as the length of the standard Graduate Assistant appointment; and, establishes which details (including work responsibilities) that must be disclosed in one’s appointment letter.

3. Workload: Proposes a process to ensure graduate employees are not forced to work beyond their contracted 20 hours without additional compensation.

4. Leave and Paid Time Off: This proposal seeks to establish a contractually protected right to two week of paid vacation per semester for graduate employees (additional time may be taken off with the consent of ones advisor); this proposal also states that graduate employees cannot be “compelled, pressured, or required” to work when the University is closed or during holidays identified on the SU academic calendar.

The SU and SGEU negotiating teams agreed to a slate of a bargaining sessions in early January, with the goal of making significant progress prior to the start of the Spring semester.

Following SGEU’s presentation of conceptual proposals, both sides went into a private caucus to discuss next steps. Once both teams returned from private caucus, SGEU took some time to answer a few clarifying questions SU had regarding specific proposals. Once SGEU addressed those questions, SU’s negotiating team thanked the SGEU bargaining committee for the comprehensive nature of the proposals presented (and the preceding presentation). They expressed optimism that we will be able to make considerable progress on the issues discussed and proposals presented in the coming months. Accordingly, both parties agreed to a slate of additional bargaining sessions that will occur prior to the start of the Spring Semester. In addition to the November 27th and December 7th dates already agreed to, both parties agreed to additional bargaining sessions on January 8th, January 10th, January 11th, and January 12th (all sessions being 4 hours or longer).

What’s Next?

Now that SGEU has pushed economic and benefits-related proposals across the table, we are rapidly approaching an exciting new phase of the bargaining process. As always, SGEUs effectiveness at the bargaining table directly correlates with the strength of an active and informed membership. As the Fall semester winds down and we begin looking forward to the Spring, please remember that there are a variety of ways you can become more involved in your union.

If you are interested in being directly involved with the bargaining process (including reviewing SU counterproposals to everything we just presented), please consider joining a contract issue group, which meet approximately every other week.

If you are more interested in helping with essential day to day union operations or overall union organizing and strategy for the upcoming semester, please consider joining a standing committee or coming by an organizing committee meeting!

If you are more interested in helping out specifically within your department and making sure all your colleagues are up-to-date on latest union happenings, please consider becoming a department representative!

In the meantime, please keep an eye on our calendar for additional events and please join us on November 30th at 6pm for a training and informational session on employee rights! You can RSVP for the November 30th event here.

In Solidarity,

The SGEU Bargaining Committee

Key Points (TL;DR)

• Two new Tentative Agreements were reached

  • “Union Access”

  • “Labor Management Committee”

• Discussed three proposals in negotiation:

  • Academic Freedom

  • Discipline & Discharge

  • Policy and Procedure

Summary

New Tentative Agreement on “Union Access”
A final outstanding question on this proposal pertained to Section 7, in which the University requested that the union “provide names of the current SGEU for the Graduate Assistant Union to the Graduate School and Labor Relations.” The University clarified that it wished to know names of those in leadership who would be using the office space. With no other questions or counters, we signed a tentative agreement for this article!

New Tentative Agreement on “Labor Management Committee”
In our previous session, SGEU countered this article, requesting that we have right to bring one staff member (i.e. our Union rep) and one guest (any member of SGEU as we see necessary) to these meetings. SU included this language in the updated article and we signed this tentative agreement!


Continued Discussion on Academic Freedom
Overall, the University agrees that an article outlining our rights to academic freedom is necessary and important to include in our contract. SU provided some context around conversations that are currently happening within the Faculty Senate and explained that they are working on reviewing the policy and procedure that already stands for faculty. With this, SU is concerned about having two different statements or definitions for Academic Freedom between the Faculty and the Grad workers and thus are reluctant to write an article for our CBA with the risk that is does not align with the policy implemented for faculty.
SGEU countered on this, emphasizing the urgency for this matter to be addressed. We emphasized that individuals in our membership do not feel safe or supported by the University in the current climate. SU suggested the possible inclusion of a shorter academic freedom article that would essentially state that Grad Workers would enjoy the same rights and protections that faculty are entitled to under the Academic Freedom policy outlined in the SU Faculty Handbook. The SGEU bargaining committee is still waiting to officially receive this proposal in written form.

Discussion on Proposed Discipline & Discharge Article
After reviewing this article in full, SGEU sought clarity on the following sections:

• Section 2: We acknowledged that the language in this section is alluding to the idea of “progressive discipline,” which is the method in which there are clear steps that an employer must take to communicate problems with a Grad Worker before they are formally disciplined or discharged (fired). SGEU agrees that this method to take disciplinary action aligns with the values of our membership and asked for a clear language in this article stating that discipline will be progressive (i.e. a verbal warning before a write-up).

• Section 2b: This section is meant to define “just cause” in the context of our Union. We sought clarity on language “Just cause shall include…failure to adhere to course stated course or research deadlines.” We flagged that this idea might be bleeding into our roles within the academic sphere and not addressing us in our roles as employees. SU stated that they are not wedded to any of the examples outlined in Section 2b of this article yet. They explained that the idea for this article is to provide a roadmap for arbitrators if a case was taken to arbitration. The article is meant to be helpful and guiding.

• Section 2c: This section states that non-reappointment or failure to offer an appointment to a grad worker would not be considered the same as discharge and would not be grievable. We asked SU to explain their reasoning for this. They explained that this was describing cases for grad workers who had already exceeded their four years of funding committed to us by SU or for master’s students who currently do not have guaranteed funding. Essentially, this section is meant clarify that non-reappointment is not necessarily a reflection of a worker’s performance.

• Section 2e: This section states that discipline shall not include performance evaluations or feedback. We asked for clarity on what constitutes evaluation/feedback. SU explained that this pertains to instances when grad workers have peer evaluations or instructor evaluations of their teaching. SU intended this section to protect grad workers by stating that a bad teaching evaluation would not be grounds to trigger the D&D process, as the University understands that these kinds of evaluations are important for a grad worker’s professional development. This is not to say that a pattern of repeated poor or problematic teaching evaluations would not trigger a D&D process, however, this case would align with our agreement to a progressive disciplinary process in which the grad worker receives ample communication about an issue and opportunity to correct the issue before disciplinary action is taken.

SGEU is continuing to review this article, along with the additional explanation offered by SU with the intention of offering a counterproposal in the near future.

Continued Discussion on Policy and Procedure
No counters were given to the University, however SGEU did signal to SU that we hope this article will be able to create a more centralized process around the policy and procedures pertaining to our employment terms that all grad workers operate under. Along this same vein, SGEU previously requested all of the Departmental Handbooks that are used across campus for grad workers. In this session, we received departmental handbooks that were collected by the University. The Bargaining Committee will be reviewing these handbooks with the intent to counterpropose a productive solution that will separate the policy and procedure we operate under as employees from the policy and procedure we operate under as students.

Key Points (TL;DR)

• SGEU recieved three new proposals from SU:

  • Labor management committee (LMC)

  • Discipline and Discharge (D&D)

  • Bargaining Unit Information and FERPA Compliance

• SGEU presented a counterproposal for Union Access

Summary

Labor management committee - Proposed by SU
This article would permit the formation of a new committee called the Labor Management Committee (LMC). The LMC would be comprised of three SGEU members and three members to represent the University. The purpose of this committee would be to make labor-related communication on long- and short-term labor issues more efficient, and to promote a collaborative environment for problem-solving these issues. The LMC would not replace any grievance/arbitration processes and would not be used for negotiations or to discuss any pending grievances.
SGEU countered on this article, requesting that we have right to bring one staff member (i.e. our Union rep) and one guest (any SGEU stakeholder we see necessary) to these meetings. SU agreed to include this.

Discipline & Discharge - Proposed by SU
The purpose of this article is to define what would be grounds for discipline of a member of SGEU. The University recognizes that the members of SGEU wear multiple hats in the sense that we are both students and employees during our time at SU, and this article is meant to delineate these bounds. The article proposes that the University will adhere to the standard of “just cause” when disciplining or discharging a grad worker. Just cause is a concept well-established in labor law and essentially requires the employer to have a reason to act in disciplining or discharging a grad worker and this reason must be just and fair.

Bargaining Unit and FERPA Compliance - Proposed by SU
An important part to maintain a living Union is being able to communicate with everyone in the membership. This means SGEU would need to know who is unit and have a means to contact members (via email, phone, etc.). This article discusses the information that would be accessible by the Union and the processes we would need to go through in order to release this information. Since we are students, there are FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act) restrictions that we as graduate employees would need to waive to release our information so that we are in compliance with FERPA. This article states what FERPA compliance means and looks like, how we will be able to waive the restrictions to release our information, what the waiver form will consist of and what options we have to either waive or not waive our rights, and what information will be released to the Union.

The SGEU Bargaining Committee is still conducting a full review of these proposals.

Counterproposal for “Union Access” - delivered from SGEU
In this proposal, there is a section stating that space for an office to carry out Union duties would be available to SGEU if we wished to lease space. In this session we received confirmation that space would be accessible to all folks, we would have priority for space on campus, and we would be leased space at carrying cost (meaning SU would not be profiting from this transaction).

Key Points (TL; DR)

• One new Tentative Agreement on “Severability”

• Three new proposals crossed the table:

  • From SU: New Member Orientation

  • From SU: No strike/No Lockout

  • From SGEU: Union Security

• Discussion on campus climate and academic freedom

• Dates for future bargaining sessions were discussed, with one meeting added in early December
  
  

Summary

New Tentative agreement: Severability

This tentative agreement speaks to a process to resolve any issues that may arise in the case that any provision, in part or whole, is declared to be illegal, void, or invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction or any administrative agency (like the NLRB). All other provisions in the contract will remain in full effect and will be binding to all parties. Both parties (SGEU and SU) will meet to bargain in good faith to conform to the illegal, void, or conflicting provision. This is a common provision found in many grad union collective bargaining agreements and essentially allows the remainder of the agreement to remain effective if one or more of its other terms or provisions are found to be unenforceable or illegal.

Three new proposals crossed the table:

1. New Member Orientation – Proposed by SU

This article, as written by SU, would grant SGEU time to address new Graduate Assistants at the annual TA Orientation program with one (1) week’s notice of the program. SGEU would be allowed a 15 minute presentation and SGEU would be allowed to distribute an information packet at the beginning of both academic semesters.

2. No Strike/No Lockout – proposed by SU

There are three main takeaways on this first iteration of this article proposed by SU. First, this article states that the union would agree to a “no strike” provision for the duration of the Agreement. Some form of such agreements are common in Collective Bargaining Agreements, as most strikes occur after a contract has expired and negotiations have stalled. In this article, SU seeks to prohibit a range of actions under the concept of “Strike”, including: a strike (whether sit-down, stay-in, sympathy, unfair labor practice, general or of any other kind), walk-out, work stoppage, work slowdown, sickout, picketing handbilling, boycott, demonstration, refusal to cross a picket line (whether such line is established by this Union or any other union), refusal to handle so-called “struck business” (whether “struck business” is “struck” by this Union or by any other union), concerted overtime refusal, concerted failure or refusal to perform assigned work, or any other type of job action or economic pressure or disruptive activity of any kind (including, without limitation, use of the “rat” or similar displays, “corporate campaigns,” or any such pressure tactics). Secondly, under this article, the Administration would agree that there will be no lockout during the term of this Agreement. A lockout is a work stoppage or a denial of employment initiated by the employer during a labor dispute. Lastly, another section of this article speaks to the responsibility of the Union if an unlawful strike or work stoppage were to be initiated and the penalties for it.

3. Union Security – proposed by SGEU

This clause is an agreement between SGEU and SU administration and gives the Union the power to enforce rules and regulations within the agreement and to collect dues. We are seeking a “union shop” in which all members of our bargaining unit become official members of the union once they are hired. Language on how dues will be deducted has not been incorporated into this proposal yet.

The SGEU Bargaining Committee is still conducting a full review of these proposals with the intention of crafting counterproposals.

Academic freedom and the current campus climate

In recent days, members of SGEU have been raising concerns about our safety in the workplace and have been asking questions about our rights to academic freedom. In a previous bargaining session, SGEU passed a proposal on Academic Freedom across the table. However, we know that given the current campus climate, we cannot wait for our Collective Bargaining Agreement to be ratified to address these concerns of our membership. In this week’s session, we asked for the conversation to pivot from a bargaining space to labor-management type meeting and allow for space to find a way forward in the short-term. The SGEU Bargaining Committee expressed our concerns and shared some of the reports we have received from SGEU members who have been directly impacted to try to better explain that we as graduate workers are a vulnerable population and need better support and guidance through these times. SU responded, agreeing that there needs to be a better way to affirm the University’s stance on supporting Academic Freedom and a better way to convey the avenues that grad workers have to seek support and guidance.


Continuing Negotiations
In the interest of keeping the momentum going, SGEU and SU administration agreed to three additional bargaining sessions that will take us into the beginning of December. In addition to the November 20th and 27th dates we agreed to last week, we determined that both teams could also add a December 7th meeting to the calendar. Members of SGEU and SU admin negotiation teams are continuing to schedule out future dates for the rest of December and into the new year.

What’s next

SGEU Bargaining Committee members are still working to develop new proposals on economic and benefits related topics to present to the SU Admin. If you want to have a direct say in what we will propose to SU Admin, these issue groups are a great place to start. Meeting times and locations can be found on our events page! If you are interested in joining and need a Zoom option, reach out to any Bargaining Committee Member on the issue group of interest and they can get you set up!

Finally, the strongest contract we can win is a contract that has been contributed to by all of us. Our weekly organizing committee meets every Monday at 6PM, in Carnegie 110. If OC doesn’t work for your schedule, you can get involved in the SGEU standing committee groups, which you can browse at this link.

Key Points (TL;DR)

• No new tentative agreements reached, but two additional bargaining sessions were established with more proposed dates pending

• SGEU presented a fully developed Union Security article

• Further negotiations occurred regarding union access; progress was made and discussions continue regarding an SGEU office space

• SGEU proposed an “academic freedom” article

• Further negotiations were had regarding SU’s proposed “Policies and Procedures” article, with SGEU making a counter-proposal

• SU proposed a “Severability” article
  

Summary

The SGEU bargaining committee and SU bargaining team met for two bargaining sessions this past week: once on Monday, October 30th, and again on Tuesday, October 31st.

No new tentative agreements reached, but two additional bargaining sessions were established with more proposed dates pending

Thus far, SGEU and SU have been meeting approximately 1-2 times per week. Our current meeting schedule runs through the Thanksgiving holiday. On Monday, SGEU proposed a list of six dates and times to SU. On Thursday, they agreed to two of SGEU’s proposed dates, and proposed three additional meeting dates in early December. We are in the process of determining when we are available during these additional dates.

SGEU presented a fully developed Union Security article

On Tuesday, SGEU presented a full proposal on Union Security article, expanding on a conceptual proposal we made on October 3rd. Herein, we proposed a “union shop”, which would ensure the health and longevity of our union for both us and future graduate students. Many elements of our union security article are similar to union security provisions in the existing CBA between Syracuse University and other SEIU bargaining unit on campus (which covers facilities, food service, and library workers).

Further negotiations occurred regarding union access; progress was made and discussions continue regarding an SGEU office space

On Tuesday, SGEU began the meeting by reviewing a “Union Access” counterproposal. In this article, “union access” refers to SGEU’s ability to access campus space and resources. Our counterproposal clarified that in the context of this agreement, “union representative” refers to paid union staff, not graduate employees serving as union leadership. Moreover, we added a clause which would provide SGEU access to bulletin boards similar to how existed registered student organizations can post flyers in such spaces. SGEU also amended SU’s proposed office space provision, suggesting this space should be provided to the union free of charge.

After private caucus, SU came back with a counterproposal, which retained our bulletin board access provision. As of now, the primary point of debate regards the details of a future SGEU office space on campus. Negotiations on this point continue.

SGEU proposed an “academic freedom” article

SGEU presented a new article on Academic Freedom on Tuesday. This article emerged from our concerns that while the SU student handbook provides for some speech protections, SU does not currently have a clear policy pertaining to our academic rights as Graduate Employees specifically. Generally, this article seeks to provide SU graduate employees with the same level of academic and speech protections as SU faculty. The goal of this article is to codify these freedoms against any possible erosions in future contexts. SU has yet to offer official tentative agreement on this article and it will be further discussed in future meetings.
Further negotiations were had regarding SU’s proposed “Policies and Procedures” article, with SGEU making a counter-proposal
On Monday, both sides revisited SU’s proposed “Policies and Procedures” article, which states SU “policies and procedures, including… Academic rules and regulations, the Student Code of onduct and the Student Handbook, shal continue in full force and effect”. We continued discussion on Department Handbooks ,which we had originally broached on October 24th. SGEU’s concern regarding these departmental-level handbooks is that they are highly decentralized, and many contain rules pertaining to employment. SU stated they are still working to collect all department handbooks in a format which they can share and both teams and collectively review in-depth

On Tuesday, SGEU provided a Policies and Procedures counterproposal, which contained the following additions/amendments:

1. Clarification that departmental handbooks would be superseded by the CBA, as it relates to employment.

2. Future work rules will be subject to discussion and review by SGEU before implementation.

3. Maintenance of an easily accessible, up to date Graduate-Assistant handbook.

SU proposed a “Severability” article

After our Policies and Procedures counter, SU proposed another “nuts-and-bolts” article of the contract titled “severability”. This article states that if part of the contract is no longer applicable for any reason (such as a change in state or federal legislation), then that part will be nullified and/or renegotiated while the rest of the contract remains in effect.

What’s Next

Issue Groups are now up and running! These groups are where we are currently developing many future proposals, including proposals concerning compensation and benefits. If you want to have a direct say in what is put in front of SU, now is an excellent time to join!

Outside of the Issue Groups, the Bargaining Committee will continue researching the “Non-Discrimination” and “Management and Academic Rights” articles, determine a consensus on the “Severability” article, and further develop the “New Employee Experience” proposal.

Key Points (TL;DR)

• No new Tentative Agreements Reached

• SGEU posed a couple of brief questions regarding their “Non-Discrimination” Proposal while indicating we are still conducting our own in-depth review of the article

• SGEU offered some initial feedback on their proposed “Policies and Procedures” article, indicating the need for further information

• SGEU sought clarification on some elements of SU’s proposed “Union Access” article; additionally, we indicated our desire for such an article to establish union access to both digital and physical bulletin boards, an official “@syr.edu” email for SGEU, and a physical office location for SGEU on SUs campus

• SU delivered a “Management Rights” article

• The SGEU bargaining committee and issue groups are continuing to prepare conceptual proposals on economic- and benefits-related issues; everyone’s involvement in this process is highly encouraged! Please check out our issue groups section to see meeting dates and times
  
  

Summary:

The SGEU and SU bargaining committees met for a shorter, 3-hour bargaining session on the morning of October 24th (Tuesday). While no new tentative agreements were reached, further discussions on proposed articles were had, and SU proposed a “Management Rights” article.

SGEU posed a couple of brief questions regarding their Anti-Discrimination Proposal while indicating we are still conducting our own in-depth review of the article

While we are still developing a more in-depth response to their proposed Non-Discrimination article, SGEU sought clarification regarding Title IX policies on SU’s campus. Our main points of inquiry concerned:

1. How the University currently establishes policies and procedures related to Title IX;
2. What mechanisms currently exists for changing Title IX policies and procedures;
3. And how Graduate Employees could potentially be involved in future institutional discussions focused on Title IX policy and procedure;

SU initially responded by elaborating the recent process they utilized to adjust Title IX policies following federal policy changes initiated by the Trump administration, which included administrators SU’s Student Experience department, Human Resources, and advice from an outside law firm they retained. They will follow up with us regarding the possibility of Graduate Employee involvement in future policy discussions.

SGEU offered some initial feedback on their proposed “Policies and Procedures” article, indicating the need for further information

Following discussion on SU’s proposed Non-Discrimination article, we briefly responded to their proposed Policies and Procedures article—which is intended to establish that university rules and regulations (e.g. Academic Rules and Regulations, Student Code of Conduct, Student Handbook provisions, etc…) would remain in effect following contract ratification. SGEU noted its observation that the policies and procedures referenced in the article primarily pertain to our experience as students, not employees, of Syracuse University. SU’s lead outside counsel and negotiator, Paul Salvatore, acknowledged this and stated that part of the purpose of the article is to demarcate our dual roles as students and employees. We further indicated that before we consider agreement on such an article, we would need a full accounting of graduate student and graduate employee handbooks developed and distributed at the departmental and program level. Moreover, we need to ensure that SGEU members will not be subject to unilateral rule and policy changes with no notice. SU’s bargaining team acknowledged that they have been discussing the topic of department/program student handbooks and would follow up with us on that topic. While discussing this article, we also flagged that SGEU does intend to put forward an “Academic Freedom” article focused on our academic rights as scholars.

SGEU sought clarification on some elements of SU’s proposed “Union Access” article

SGEU also offered some feedback on SU’s proposed “Union Access” article. After clarifying the meaning of “Union Representative” in the article (which primarily refers to paid SEIU staff), we listed a slate of additions we would like to see in such an article, including:

1. A stated right to post on both digital and physical bulletin boards across campus
2. An “@syr.edu” email inbox/address for conducting SGEU business
3. A physical office location on campus, which would allow us to have meetings on sensitive topics/grievances with members in a private space

Following private caucus, SU indicated that they would draft a counterproposal informed by our feedback.

SU delivered a “Management Rights and Academic Rights” article

Before concluding our bargaining session for the day, SU put forward a “Management and Academic Rights” article, focused on the University’s and Supervisors’ roles in developing/administering academic policy and managing the workplace. SGEU is still reviewing this article and will provide updates on it in future weeks.

What’s Next:
As we continue to move through the second half of our fall semester and make headway on non-economic parts of the contract, the SGEU bargaining committee is continuing to prepare for negotiations on economic- and benefits-related contract components. The bargaining committee still needs your help! Many contract issue groups have meetings in the upcoming weeks, all focused on developing conceptual proposals related to key components of our platform. Your voice in this process is invaluable! Please check out our Contract Issue Groups page to see the updated meeting schedules for each group. Feel free to reach out to the chairs of each issue group if you have any questions!

Key Points (TL;DR):

• Tentative Agreement on “Grievance and Arbitration” reached!

• The SU Administration proposed two more non-economic articles titled “Policies and Procedures” and “Union Access”

• Negotiations continue over the Non-Discrimination article proposed by the SU administration

• While we continue to make important progress on non-economic articles, the SGEU bargaining committee is actively preparing more detailed proposals regarding economic and benefits focused contract proposals. Please consider joining a contract issue group if you would like to be involved in this important process!
  
  

Summary:

The SGEU bargaining committee and SU bargaining team met for two bargaining sessions this past week: once on Tuesday, October 17th, and again on Friday, October 20th.

Tentative Agreement on “Grievance and Arbitration” Reached!

During our Tuesday, October 17th, bargaining session, a considerable portion of the meeting was dedicated to further negotiation over the proposed Grievance and Arbitration article. This session began with SU’s lead negotiator, Paul Salvatore, reviewing a collection of edits SU made to their proposal in response to the counter-proposal we provided them during the previous session. As a result of these negotiations, the proposed timelines associated with various stages of the grievance and arbitration process were adjusted. SGEU’s initial concerns regarding what we considered unnecessarily compressed and complex timelines were addressed. Following agreement on this detail, further discussion concerning some slight wording changes were had. Approximately three hours into the bargaining session, the SGEU bargaining committee and SU reached tentative agreement on this article. As a result, following ratification of the contract by SGEU members, we will have access to a union-supported 4-step grievance process to enforce the provisions of this contract. If necessary, the final step of this process will provide union members with access to independent, 3rd party, arbitration to resolve employment-related disputes.

SU Administration proposed two more non-economic articles titled “Policies and Procedures” and “Union Access”

Prior to the conclusion of our October 17th bargaining session, the SU administration presented two additional non-economic proposals titled “Policies and Procedures” and “Union Access”. The proposed “Policies and Proposals” article would signal SGEU’s acknowledgement that university rules and regulations (e.g. Academic Rules and Regulations, Student Code of Conduct, Student Handbook provisions, etc…) would remain in effect following contract ratification. The second article, titled “Union Access”, speaks to the ability of SGEU and SEIU representatives to access campus space. The SGEU bargaining committee is still reviewing these articles and has yet to provide a response and/or counterproposal to the SU administration as of Friday, October 20th.

Negotiations continue over the Non-Discrimination article proposed by the SU Administration

The SGEU bargaining committee spent a considerable amount of time over the last week and a half reviewing the Non-Discrimination article proposed by the SU administration the previous week. The entirety of our Friday, October 20th, bargaining session focused on this proposed article. This bargaining session began with SGEU’s lead negotiator, Scott Phillipson, acknowledging the importance of this article and the fact that it impacts deeply personal and emotional experiences of our members. The SGEU bargaining committee conveyed that while this proposal represents the start of an invaluable discussion on discrimination, we do not feel that it speaks to broader concerns we have around harassment and bullying on campus. Other questions/concerns we voiced included:

1. Concern over whether the proposal, as written, inappropriately limits individual members’ rights to pursue litigation related to various federal and state discrimination/employment law, should they desire to do so?

2. Clarification over proposed pre-arbitration mediation, including how such a mediator would be selected?

3. The breadth of the proposed “political activities” clause (i.e. what falls under the category ‘protected political activity’).

Following a review of our questions and concerns, both sides entered private caucus to further discuss with our respective bargaining teams. When we came back together, SU’s outside counsel and lead negotiator gave an extended presentation on the proposed article. Through the course of this presentation, they reiterated that the current proposal allows graduate employees to utilize internal university processes/procedures, as well as union grievance and arbitration procedures. In the event that an individual files a Title IX grievance, for example, they would still be able to invoke the Grievance and Arbitration process if they do not feel that their case was adequately resolved by the university. They conceded that this proposal, as written, precludes the ability of individual members to pursue litigation in court, but that they would still have the right to file their case with the appropriate government agency, such as the EEOC or NLRB, if they wish. While the SGEU bargaining committee appreciates this point, we remain concerned about possibly limiting members’ individual rights in the context of federal and state discrimination law. Following this discussion, both sides entered caucus for further private discussion and remained in caucus for the remainder of the bargaining session.

What’s Next?

The SGEU bargaining committee will continue to review and conduct research on the proposed Anti-Discrimination article, developing elements of a potential counter-proposal in the process. In the meantime, we are also working to develop counter-proposals related to the University’s “Policies and Procedures” and “Union Access” proposals.

If you recall from our first bargaining session update the week of September 27th, we indicated that we intended to discuss some economic elements of our SGEU platform during this week’s bargaining sessions. As we are still fully focused, and making progress, on a range of important non-economic articles, discussion of economic- and benefits-focused contract articles have yet to occur. That said, the SGEU bargaining committee is still actively working on refining our initial slate of economic and benefits proposals. If you would like to be involved in the development of these initial proposals, please join one of our contract issue groups! If you are interested, please reach out to the appropriate bargaining committee members via email!

Key Points (TL;DR):

• Three tentative agreements were reached today concerning the CBA’s Preamble, Purpose and Intent, and Recognition articles

• Further negotiations over the Grievance and Arbitration processes were had—with positive progress being made

• SU presented an article regarding Discrimination protections

• Please join us at our upcoming Fall Social to meet fellow Graduate Employees, converse with SGEU bargaining committee members, and learn more about the variety of ways you can get involved!

Summary:

Three tentative agreements were reached today concerning the CBA’s Preamble, Purpose and Intent, and Recognition articles

1. Preamble

This bargaining session began by revisiting several articles proposed the previous week. The SGEU bargaining committee presented a slightly amended Preamble, adding language that reflected SGEU’s status as a chapter of SEIU Local 200United. Following a brief review of these changes, a tentative agreement on this article was reached and signed by SU and SGEU.

2. Purpose and Intent

Following discussion of Preamble, the SGEU bargaining committee offered a slightly amended Purpose and Intent article. The primary change SGEU made to this article was the addition of a “Note on Gender Inclusivity”. This note clarified that “they”, “their”, and “them” will be utilized as gender neutral pronouns in the context of this CBA, in accordance with both parties' commitments to gender-inclusivity.

3. Recognition

The proposed Recognition article, which defines the parameters of our bargaining unit, was the subject of lengthier discussion during the first half of this six hour session. This article is largely identical to the language contained in the election agreement reached by SGEU and SU in March of 2023. Despite this, the SGEU bargaining committee had some questions in light of data provided to us by SU on the length of graduate employee appointments (e.g. 10 hour vs 20 hour contracts) and the potential occurrence of sub-10 hour contracts. These questions were posed toward the conclusion of our previous meeting, and SU took the time to respond to them at-length during today’s session (October 13th). Following SU’s further explanation of the data provided to us, it was determined that no further amendment to this article was needed, and that all members of our bargaining unit do, in fact, receive at least 10 hour contract appointments, with most members receiving the standard 20 hour appointments. Accordingly, the SGEU bargaining committee and SU signed a Tentative Agreement on this article.

*Signing of this TA does not preclude the negotiation of a parity clause regarding fellows later on in the collective bargaining process—as we indicated was our intention to the SU bargaining team during the October 3rd bargaining session.

Further negotiations over the Grievance and Arbitration processes were had—with positive progress being made

Following the establishment of our first Tentative Agreements, both parties revisited the topic of Grievance and Arbitration procedures. SU began by offering us an amended proposal which incorporated some initial feedback we gave them during the previous bargaining session, lengthening the timeline of the proposed grievance and arbitration process. While the SGEU bargaining committee was appreciative of this proposed change, we still presented our own counterproposal. In addition to adjusting the grievance and arbitration timeline, the amendments reflected in our counterproposal also seek to ensure that this is a process that grievants feel comfortable and safe engaging. Therefore, among other changes, we proposed making the first stage of the process (an oral report to one’s immediate supervisor or department chair) optional, allowing the grievant to immediately file a written formal grievance report to the appropriate Graduate School administrator (e.g. the Dean of the Graduate School). Following a review of these amendments, both parties entered into caucus to further discuss each other’s proposals. We expect to hear a response regarding our counterproposal at the next bargaining session. As a reminder, all proposals from both parties can be reviewed by any member via our online bargaining tracker!

SU presented an article regarding Discrimination protections

Shortly before the conclusion of our bargaining session, both parties returned from private caucus to allow SU to present an article concerning discrimination protections and how future union processes, such as grievance and arbitration, may be applicable to such cases. While reviewing their proposal, SU indicated their desire to ensure that this discrimination article harmonizes existing reporting and investigation procedures with procedures that will be established in the context of this CBA. The SGEU bargaining committee is still reviewing this proposal in greater detail and will offer a more in-depth update regarding this article next week. As a reminder, you are welcome to review the proposal yourself on our bargaining tracker.

What’s Next:

The SGEU bargaining committee has two bargaining sessions scheduled with SU for the week of October 16th. We are hopeful that these sessions will allow us to make further progress on solidifying future grievance and arbitration processes, as well as reinforcing protections from discrimination and harassment. We have yet to hear back from the SU administration regarding our conceptual proposals on Union Security and New Employee Experience articles.

Remember, our power at the bargaining table is derived from an informed and continually active membership. Be sure to check our calendar for upcoming events and meetings. You can also learn more about how to get involved with a variety of union tasks and processes, depending on your interests and availability, on our “How to Get Involved Page”. As always please feel free to reach out via email if you have any questions!

Thank you to those who came out to our wonderful Bargaining Bash on Wednesday (10/11)! Be sure to mark our upcoming Fall Social, happening Saturday October 21st, on your calendars. You can RSVP for the social here!!

Key points (TL; DR)

• We received a response from SU on finalized locations for the next nine bargaining sessions

• We received clarification on mechanics of bargaining, established mutual understanding on the meaning of “tentative agreement”, and agreed with SU that we will come to tentative agreements article by article

• Four proposals were presented: Scope of bargaining unit; Union security; Grievance and Arbitration; New Employee experience

• No tentative agreements (TA) were reached today
  
  Summary:
  
  We received response from SU on finalized locations for the next eight bargaining sessions
  In the last session, we asked for some sessions to be scheduled somewhere that is more accessible for people both on SGEU’s negotiating team and SU’s negotiating team. We proposed sharing costs to reserve space in the University’s Sheraton Hotel for these sessions. Out of nine sessions, SU was able to reserve space at the Sheraton for two upcoming sessions. The remaining sessions are scheduled in buildings located on Skytop (South Campus).
  
  We received clarification on mechanics of bargaining, established mutual understanding on the meaning of “tentative agreement, and agreed with SU that we will come to tentative agreements by article
  We discussed our goals and expectations around bargaining and agreed that after we introduce and discuss a proposal, we will work towards an tentative agreement (TA). Tentative agreement indicates that a proposal has been discussed, agreed upon, and signed by both parties. No changes will be made to these tentative agreements unless mutually agreed upon by both parties. These TAs will not take effect until both SGEU membership and the Board of Trustees of SU both vote to ratify the collective agreement.
  
  While we are bargaining, as soon as TAs are agreed and signed, they will be published and you can take a look at them in our Bargaining Tracker.
  
  Four proposals were presented and discussed:
  Following our discussion around mechanics, SGEU presented four conceptual proposals to the SU negotiation team. We then went to a caucus, where the SU negotiation team moved to a separate space to discuss our proposals and prepare a response. When they returned, they presented us with two proposals they had crafted prior to this bargaining session pertaining to two topics we brought to the table (the Unit Description and the Grievance and Arbitration Process). We went to caucus and discussed their proposals and crafted our response for SU’s negotiating team. At the end of this session, no TAs were reached. Both parties agreed to come back to the table next
  

1. Scope of Bargaining Unit
   Both parties presented proposals that were largely pulled from the election agreement SGEU and SU reached in March. This election agreement established the scope of the bargaining unit that our Union currently represents. While not included in this article, the SGEU bargaining committee signaled our intent to bargain for a parity clause pertaining to those classified as fellows. Lastly, we sought further information regarding a number of individuals who currently have GA appointments for less than 10 hours per week. If you are one of these individuals, please email the bargaining committee, as we are interested in learning more about the nature of your appointments.

2. Union Security
   In this conceptual proposal, SGEU signaled its intent to establish a “union shop” to ensure the longevity and health of our new union—not only for us but also for future generations of graduate employees.

3. Grievance and Arbitration
   This was the second topic in which both parties brought a prepared proposal to the table. In the proposal framework presented by SGEU we asked for a step-wise process:
   
   Step 1: Grievance raised orally
   Step 2: Reduced to writing
   Step 3: Meeting of all parties
   Step 4: Pending no resolution, will have ability to file for arbitration with the American Arbiter’s Association (AAA).
   
   Within this framework, the grievance procedure will be applicable to any matter within the bounds of the contract agreed upon. The process we proposed is a format typically used by SEIU Local 200, the union we joined. However, there are still details and nuances to consider that are unique to our specific population of workers.
   
   Following the first caucus, the SU negotiation team responded to our proposal with a proposal of their own. Foundationally, this proposal aligns with most of the key elements of ours. Their proposal included a stepwise process to file a grievance. They also included a timeline and proposed actions that can be done for each step. The primary concern SGEU seeks to revisit is the proposed grievance timeline, which we felt didn’t leave adequate time for grievants to assess and file their claims.

4. New Employee Experience
   In this conceptual proposal, SGEU outlined our envisioned role in the graduate employee onboarding and orientation process. Among other things, it was proposed that graduate employee offer letters clearly state that they are accepting employment in a unionized workspace and direct them to union leadership and resources for more information. We also requested involvement during in-person orientation.

What’s Next

At the conclusion of the session, no tentative agreements were reached. However, we are close! Again, this contract is our contract, and the strongest contract that we deserve will be built by all of us! If you are a worker who is contracted for less than 10 hours a week, please reach out so we can learn more about your job, and roles and responsibilities at SU! You can contact any BC member via email or office hours. Additionally, you can share any stories about your experiences as a worker here at SU at this link. Your stories and experiences help to inform us so we can build a contract that works for all of us!

If you want to know more about where we are in bargaining and what exactly we’re bargaining for, join us at the Bargaining Bash, 10/11, 5:30PM, in Hall of Languages 207! Click here to RSVP.


In solidarity,
The SGEU Bargaining Committee

Key Points

• Introductions between bargaining teams

• Agreement on future Meeting Dates; Established Approximately 1 per week up until Thanksgiving Break

• Next bargaining session will primarily focus on non-economic contract components (10/3/23)

• Economic elements of the SGEU platform will begin discussion on October 17th and 20th

• Bargaining for a strong first contract will require broad-based member involvement—check out our “how to get involved” page to learn about how you can become involved with the bargaining process or SGEU more broadly!
  
  Introductions
  At 11:00am on Wednesday, September 27th, our full 12 member bargaining committee (accompanied by SEIU Local 200United President Scott Phillipson), met with SU representatives to begin the process of working towards our first contract. SU’s negotiating team consisted of their lead negotiator Paul Salvatore (Outside Counsel from Proskauer-Rose), Denise Dyce (Associate Vice President of Labor and Employee Relations), Dr. Gabby Chapman (Associate Dean of the Graduate School), Dr. Lois Agnew (Associate Provost for Academic Programs), Cathay Bottari (Associate Director of Labor Relations), Alyssa Campbell (Associated General Counsel for Labor and Employment), and Yonatan Grossman-Boder (Outside Counsel from Proskauer-Rose).
  
  Future Meeting Dates Established; Approximately 1 per week up until Thanksgiving Break
  The primary focus of this first meeting was setting future meeting dates and locations. This is difficult due to SGEU’s desire to ensure, as much as possible, that there is a bargaining committee representative of the breadth and diversity of our membership at the table, and the subsequent need to coordinate amongst 20+ individuals’ working schedules. Informed by previous email correspondence between the two parties, SU provided SGEU with a list of proposed meeting dates and times throughout the Fall semester. Following a brief caucus (this is when both parties move to separate rooms to discuss privately amongst themselves), both parties agreed to set dates and times for 10 future bargaining sessions (roughly one per week), up until Thanksgiving Break. Both parties expressed the desire to proceed in good faith, without unnecessarily delaying or stretching out the bargaining process. In this spirit, SGEU also proposed an additional standing meeting time of Thursday evenings, from 5:30-8:00pm. SU indicated they would discuss the possibility of future Thursday evening meetings amongst their team.
  
  Economic elements of the SGEU platform will begin discussion on October 17th and 20th
  SU’s lead negotiator Paul Salvatore (outside counsel from Proskauer-Rose) began by acknowledging the “thoughtful and comprehensive” nature of the SGEU bargaining platform, expressing a desire to hear more about it in the near future. SGEU bargaining committee signaled our intent to provide a more comprehensive presentation of our bargaining platform (which focuses primarily on economic issues and benefits) at meetings on October 17th and 20th.
  
  Next bargaining session will primarily focus on non-economic contract components
  The SGEU bargaining committee signaled our desire to first discuss some non-economic “nuts and bolts” components of the contract before we begin conversations on the economic elements. Negotiations on the non-economic components are prioritized for the discussion at our next bargaining session, October 3, 2023.
  
  Bargaining for a strong first contract will require broad-based member involvement—check out our “how to get involved” page to learn about how you can become involved with the bargaining process or SGEU more broadly!

  
  We hope to see you at our upcoming Bargaining Bash (10/11, 5:30 PM, Hall of Languages 207), where we will be launching our platform and our Fall Social (Oct 13, more details forthcoming).
  
  In solidarity,
  The SGEU Bargaining Committee