“Not even all our faculty have workspaces!”
-Scott Merrill, Senior Director of Labor Operations and Senior Labor Counsel
Grad workers,
As many of you are aware, the bargaining committee and UAW staff had our first bargaining session with Northeastern admin today. We believe it to be a huge success and a step in the right direction in our collective struggle toward a fair contract now.
It is our top priority as your bargaining committee to provide succinct and timely updates of our bargaining sessions. Here’s what you need to know.
Bargaining Update
- The administration attempted to institute ground rules, providing the committee with a prepared print-out document consisting of proposed rules and regulations. As a bargaining committee, we are under no obligation to agree to these rules. After a brief caucus, the bargaining committee has decided to deliberate further and send a written counter to the proposed ground rules.
- Despite our multiple demands for a response to our initial Request for Information, the administration was unprepared to provide any information at the first session. The administration agreed to provide information as it becomes available. We need and demand as much information as they can provide before we can begin drafting proposals.
- Our focus for this meeting was to center the conversation around the changing of workspaces in Khoury—which we are now aware also affects other colleges. Utilizing the survey data we’ve collected to date, we articulated a strong case to the administration as to why any changes to our workspaces and working conditions must first be brought to the bargaining table. They continue to push back, insisting they are unaware of changes we know are actively occurring and have informed them of, as well as that graduate workers, and even faculty and adjuncts, often do not have appropriate workspaces. We refuse to normalize administrative complacency that prevents us from completing our work.
Thanks to the strong organizing of our Organizing committee and the turnout of our unit members, the pressure is on the administration to address our demands and concerns. Your continued presence at our open bargaining sessions and attendance at Organizing Committee (OC) meetings are critical.
Sign up for the GENU Slack if you haven’t yet, join the #bargaining-committee channel for updates on negotiating our first contract, and join our hybrid Organizing Committee meetings every Wednesday at 5 PM in the History Grad Lounge (216 Meserve/Holmes) and on Zoom (join slack to get the invite).
We will send out further announcements to recruit new members of the Organizing Committee in the Spring semester. Please respond by letting us know if you are interested in joining.
With the upcoming holidays and end of semester, we’ve proposed to the administration to hold our second bargaining session on January 25th 2024 and await the necessary information we have requested so we can move forward in bargaining a strong contract now for all grad workers.
In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee
Chloe Bennet, Population Health
Niki Thomas, Bioengineering
Shahinaz Geneid, Law and Criminology & Criminal Justice
Sophia Sheng, Law
Sydney Purdue, College of Arts, Media, and Design (CAMD)
Tim Rupprecht, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Xenia Dragon, Computer Science
JD Foster, Sociology
Kevin Jun Ha, Sociology