Northeastern Admins Contract Proposal

On January 2024, in advance of any negotiations, the Northeastern Administration offered a contract proposal for an entire union contract. This was made without hearing from the democratically elected bargaining committee, without hearing from members about their concerns and issues they have raised in our organizing, and without any discussion.

They then offered an additional proposal in March of 2024, with little to no changes.

On May 5th, 2025, they issued an ultimatum: Accept our new contract proposal or we are going to declare impasse. This is the details of that contract proposal and the effect it will have on all of us.

Contract Proposal Summary

• A history of refusing to bargain. This contract proposal is essentially the same contract proposal they offered in January and March of 2024, reordered and with minor changes.
  • Their Managements Rights section sets the tone. They make it clear they do not want to recognize our union:
    • “The University retains the exclusive rights that it possessed before the election of the Union as the exclusive bargaining representative, including but not limited to all decisions to direct, control, manage and schedule its operations, and to make any and all decisions affecting the University’s educational and research mission”
• We’ve been bargaining towards an agreement. Since January of 2024, we have been proactively bargaining on every proposal in this contract. While we have made efforts to get closer to the administration, they have moved little to not at all since their initial package they have offered. The Bargaining Committee is committed to continuing negotiations, making it impossible to be at an impasse.
• A majority of grad workers have called for better. In January, we delivered a majority petition demanding the university move towards an agreement we can accept, and no improvements have been offered since then. Why would we accept an agreement a majority of us have already rejected?
• Good faith bargaining?  So little has changed from the administration, how can they claim that they have been bargaining in good faith?
• Hiding behind Trump. They want to hide behind the Trump administration and bargain illegally, and tell us to “file a charge,” knowing fully that a charge could result in nothing at best, and at worst a decision that could harm graduate workers across the country.

This is the worst graduate worker union contract in the country.
Why do the Northeastern Admins think we deserve the worst? 

Article Specifics

Article 1: Recognition ❌
This article outlines who is eligible to be in the union. If this is unclear, it risks a worker being denied their union contract rights and benefits.

• No mention of our union’s name (Graduate Employees of Northeastern University – UAW/GENU-UAW). They refuse to recognize our union certification.
• No change since January 2024.

Article 2: Management’s Rights ❌
This article explains the rights of the administration. This is generally supervisory responsibilities, but this article is overly broad and strips us of rights that grad workers normally have in their contract. 

• Their Managements Rights section sets the tone. They make it clear they do not want to recognize our union:

“The University retains the exclusive rights that it possessed before the election of the Union as the exclusive bargaining representative, including but not limited to all decisions to direct, control, manage and schedule its operations, and to make any and all decisions affecting the University’s educational and research mission”

• No change since January 2024. 

Article 3: Union Dues or Fees ❌
This article explains how workers pay dues, and what happens if they refuse.

• Open shop, meaning workers can choose not to pay dues or fees and the union will be legally required to spend the resources to help defend them. This is an attempt to bankrupt our union. 
• No change since January 2024. 

Article 4: VCAP ❌
This article allows for non-international workers to voluntarily participate in union political action by having voluntary political donations. 

• This is added from before, which includes an ability to collect VCAP contributions, yet they removed the ability to deduct dues (above)
• This is a minor addition since January 2024

Article 5: Stipends and hourly pay ❌
This article sets our pay rates, including raises we get each year of the agreement. We wanted to include increases for people who take on additional responsibilities (like instructor of record), which admins rejected. It also only includes 2.5% raises and a $43,000 per year minimum (which is
$35,800 for 10 mo. appointments)

• The original package included a retroactive pay raise (it was effective September 1, 2024, and now its effective September 1, 2025), so you would not receive a year’s worth of raises
• Otherwise, no change since January 2024

Article 6: Benefits (previously called “Health Insurance”, “Medical and Dental Assistance”)

• This article is largely carved out of the grievance and arbitration process, so if the university violates it, we would have no resource to correct the problem. 
• Overall, this article has worsened since January of 2024. 

There are several sections of this article:

Dental Insurance 🫤

• Requires a 12 month appointment, which some departments do not offer
• No details of the plan are given

Health Insurance ❌

• No improvements to insurance in either package
• Previously agreed to offer insurance to all SGAs, now requires them to be within their “funding commitment period”. 
• Must be on a 12 month appointment. Many graduate workers only get a 9 month appointment if they are TAing. This could result in many graduate workers losing their health insurance. 
• Otherwise, no change since January 2024

Dependent Healthcare ✅

• Only grants healthcare for dependents of SGAs on a 12 month appointment. 
• They must still be within their “funding commitment period”
• This is an improvement we won previously in negotiations

Removed: Assistance Funds ❌❌

• Dropped a $350,000 fund which grad workers could use to help offset costs for dental care or medical care. This could leave many graduate workers on the hook for expensive, unavoidable procedures
• This is a huge loss for our unit

Student EAP benefits ✅

• Grants access to EAP to anyone who works 10 hours or more per week. 
• This is an improvement we won previously in negotiations. 

Article 7: Holidays  ❌❌
This article is supposed to define the holidays given to all graduate workers. Instead, it says they are given the ones in the academic calendar, which the university can change at any time. 

• Previously, this article was with time off, but it has been split. 
• Grants the university the ability to decide on holidays, and change them as they see fit without negotiations, potentially stripping grad workers of days off
• Now requires a 12 month appointment, resulting in some graduate workers losing these holidays. 
• This article has worsened since January of 2024. 

Article 8: Vacation and Personal Time ❌
This article defines the amount of vacation time and personal time you accrue. Currently, they are only offering 2 days off  per semester and 2 days off during the summer, for a total of 6 days per year. All recent grad worker contracts usually include 10 days off (2 weeks) per year. 

• Previously, this article was included with holidays, but it has been split. 
• For vacation days, no change since January 2024
• Personal time was moved from leave of absence to this article, and no change since January 2024. 

Article 9: Sick Time ❌
This article allows for graduate workers to be given guaranteed sick time. This is a requirement by law and they have agreed to offer the minimum. 

• They added a provision for sick time, which is the minimum required by law. 
• This is not an improvement, since you are entitled to this by law currently. 

Article 10: Leaves of Absence 

This article is largely carved out of the grievance and arbitration process, so if the university violates any of these provisions, we would have no resource to correct the problem. 

This article has the following sections:

Parental Leave ❌

• Previously, it prevented both parents from taking a leave if they have a child. They have since changed that position. 
• Otherwise, no change since January 2024

Medical Leave ❌

• No change since January 2024

Military Leave ❌

• Added since January 2024, but points to existing policies so it is not an improvement.

Jury Duty ✅

• This is added since January 2024

Visa Renewal ✅

• This was added in January 2024. Allows for 10 days of leave during breaks. 

Bereavement Leave ❌

• This was added in January 2024, however it requires graduate workers to use their vacation or personal time to take bereavement. 

Article 11: Stipended Appointments ❌
This article sets the terms on how we receive notification of our job which should include our responsibilities of our position.

• It only requires the university makes a “reasonable effort” to get them out timely, meaning they could not give that much notice with no recourse for us to address the problem. 
• The only change is it adds a 45 day notice for instructors of record, instead of the usual 30 day notice. 
•  Otherwise, no change since January 2024

Article 12: Stipended Assignment Hours and Workload 🫤
This article still allows for supervisors to continue to assign excessive workloads to grad workers without any upper limit in the proposed average. The University has also rejected any proposals to have mandatory work tasks be performed during regular business hours and implied that grad workers are expected to work “on-call” and face repercussions for not performing tasks assigned in the middle of the night.

• This article represents what the University has offered since October of 2024.
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table. 

Article 13: Workspace and Materials 🫤
This article grants us access to the materials and spaces we need to do our job. The article as offered strips us of our right to have a dedicated desk to work at, which would be worse than the status quo for PhD students!

• This article represents what the University has offered since December of 2024.
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table. 

Article 14: Health and Safety 🫤
This article ensures we have protections from working in dangerous conditions. It is supposed to lay out our clear process for addressing safety concerns. 

• This article represents what the University has offered since December of 2024.
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table. 

Article 15: Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation ❌
This article identifies the groups of workers whom are protected from discrimination, identifies the criteria for sexual harassment, and lays our a process for investigation and protections from discrimination, abuse or harassment. This would leave survivors of Harassment and discrimination to the whims of the university, whom have systematically allowed these people to be swept under the rug for more than a decade. 

• This article represents what the University has offered since October of 2024 (They offered minor, surface level changes in February that result in no real change)
• While a minor improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table, including:
• This article is largely carved out of the grievance and arbitration process, so if the university violates any of these provisions, we would have no resource to correct the problem.  

Article 16: International Student Worker Rights 🫤
This article identifies specific protections and rights for international workers and their circumstances.  The University has refused our proposal to establish a fund to cover immigration-related expenses. The University has refused to implement language protecting workers from having ICE agents enter their on-campus workspaces. 

• This article represents what the University has offered since December of 2024.
• While an improvement since January of 2024 (there was no article for international workers in that package), it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table.

Article 17: Work Travel 🫤
This article lays out the procedure for travel, including how travel is paid for, the process for reimbursements. They have agreed to reimburse people for expenses within 30 days of submission of receipts.

• Previously this was combined with Training. 
• This article represents what the University has offered since October of 2024, with one change (which they agreed to in February of 2025)
• While a minor improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table.

Article 18: Training 🫤
This article ensures we have access to the training we need to effectively do our jobs. The University’s proposal would allow for supervisors to punitively withhold approval for training or conferences in a discriminatory manner individual workers

• Previously this was combined with Travel.
• This article represents what the University has offered since January of 2025.
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table.

Article 19: Professional Development 🫤
This article gives us access to professional development funds to help us advance in our fields. The University has agreed to approve up to $750 per year for grad workers towards professional development materials or opportunities. However, the University has refused to guarantee existing professional development funds, such as college-specific Start-Up Funds or the PhD Network Travel Grant, will continue throughout the duration of this contract  

• This article represents what the University has offered since December of 2024.
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table.

Article 20: Grievance and Arbitration ❌
This is the enforcement article of our contract, and critical to ensure the university keeps its promise to us in this agreement. 

• While there is some description text added to clarify intent, nothing substantive has been changed.
• No change since January 2024

Article 21: Job Posting ❌
This article calls on the administration to post jobs for graduate workers on a communal website. This would allow for grad workers, who lose funding or a grant runs out, to be able to search for available positions which they qualify for. 

• Previously called “Position Openings”
• This article represents what the University has offered since May 2024, with minor changes in March 2025

Article 22: Employment Records 🫤
This article creates a practice of setting up employment records. This helps ensure workers have access to their work history, as well as relevant materials such as their disciplinary records. This is important for ensuring we have just cause protections in discipline and discharge. 

• This article represents what the University has offered since October of 2024
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table.

Article 23: Union Rights and Bargaining Unit Information 🫤
This establishes practices for our union and how we operate on campus. It also gives us access to lists of workers so that we can reach out and engage with them about the union, educate them about their rights, and give them a chance to participate in the union if they choose. 

• This article represents what the University has offered since October of 2024 with minor, surface level edits in March 2025
• While an improvement since January of 2024, it still does not address a number of concerns we have been raising at the table

Article 24: Union Stewards and Officers 🫤
This establishes how the university interacts with our elected officers, such as our stewards (who are elected to enforce our contract). 

• The university has continuously rejected this article in negotiations and refused to negotiate on it. It’s weird they are now accepting this article, which is our last version of the proposal.
• This is an improvement in negotiations. 

Article 24: Discipline and Discharge ❌
This article sets up practices for protecting workers from arbitrary termination. It lays out a “just cause” standard, which ensures an employer has made reasonable effort to warn a worker and offered guidance and offered opportunity to improve. 

• This article represents what the University has offered since August of 2024, which added three sections (8, 9, and 10), which made little to no change in the article other than clarifying intent in some language 
• No substantive change since January 2024

Article 25: Intellectual Property ❌
This article determines the protections we receive credit for our work. Currently, the current university policy allows the university to make all decisions on who gets credit for their work. 

• This article just codifies the university policies, which they can change at any time with no recourse to resolve issues. 
• This article was absent in their January 2024 proposal. 
• The university has refused to bargain on this topic for 17 months. 
• This article offers no improvements. 

Article 26: Classifications ❌
This article determines the titles we receive for our work, and lays the foundation for how compensation we receive for specifics of our work. 

• We have called this “Titles and Classifications” which should list the titles we may have, and the responsibilities of those titles. 
• This article was absent in their January 2024 proposal. 
• This article offers no improvements nor clarifications of our responsibilities. 

Article 27: No Strike/No Lockout ❌
This article is included when you have a good grievance and arbitrations article. Essentially, instead of striking every time the employer violates the contract

• This article not only prevents us striking during a contract (which is normal), but it also attacks our first amendment right to peaceful protest. 
• No change since January 2024

Article 28: Labor Management Committee ✅
This article lays out a process for handling communication and working together with admins to address concerns with admins during the duration of our contract. 

• This language reflects our current tentative agreement for our contract. 

Article 29: Severability ✅
This provision is fairly standard. It ensures that if laws change and a portion of our contract is in violation of the law, the rest of the contract is not invalidated. 

• This language reflects our current tentative agreement for our contract. 

Article 30: No Past Practice ❌
This language gives the administration the ability to change anything in our working conditions that is not specifically mentioned in our contract. Unions usually do not want language like this in our contract to ensure our working conditions do not change while we have a contract. 

• They added additional language that made no substantive change to the article. 
• No change since January 2024

Article 31: Comprehensive and Complete agreement ❌
Same as no past practice, for some reason the university feels they need to say the same thing twice. It suggests the admins intend to make changes once our contract is complete while granting the University full permission to deny requests to bargain over any issue not included in the contract. Unions usually do not want language like this in our contract to ensure our working conditions do not change while we have a contract. 

• No change since January 2024

Article 32: Duration ❌
This determines the length the contract is in place, and when we need to bargain our next contract. 

• They lengthened the contract to last until 2028 when previously they wanted to end it in 2027. 
• They added language that would auto-renew the contract for a year if we did not notify them of our intent to bargain, which would create an administrative loop-hole that could prevent us from bargaining. 
• This article is worse than in January 2024

Missing from the contract that they previously offered in January 2024: 

Academic Retaliation ❌

• This article was in their January 2024 proposal and is now gone.
• This would prevent supervisors from retaliating academically for work performance
• The university removed this article from the current proposal, which is regressive. 

Medical and Dental Assistance ❌

• This article was in their January 2024 proposal and is now gone.
• As said above, this was a fund to help offset the costs of dental and medical care. They have rescinded the offer of this fund, which is regressive.

Hourly Appointments (see article) ❌

• This article was in their January 2024 proposal and is now gone.
• They previously offered this article, but then rescinded it in the last negotiating section.

Articles we have proposed, which admins have outright rejected:

Accessibility
This article ensures workers with disabilities still have access to do their work. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Artificial Intelligence
This article prevents workers from being scanned to be put into AI, and prevents the University from replacing us with AI. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Automation
This article prevents the administration from replacing our work with automation. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Childcare
This article would establish an ability for parent graduate workers to get support to help afford childcare, which is the most expensive in Boston than most other cities in the country. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Food Security
Ensures workers have access to food and sources of support on campus. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Housing
Ensures graduate workers have access to housing on campus if we are in need. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Professional and Academic Freedom
Ensures graduate workers are able to do their job without fear of being attacked for the content of what they teach or research. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Relocation

Provides assistance to graduate workers who have to move into one of the most expensive markets in the country. The University previously offered this in some schools, but have recently taken it away

Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Retirement
Grants access to a retirement savings fund so we can be planning for our futures.

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Subcontracting
Prevents us from being replaced by outside vendors, which the university rejected. In their management rights, they specifically list the right: “to subcontract any portion of any operations”

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Successorship
Ensures that if Northeastern were ever sold, our contract and our union would persevere and remain intact.

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Tax Assistance
Grants access to tax assistance, free of charge. 

• Northeastern admins rejected this proposal, refusing to include it in our contract

Tuition and Fee Remission ❌
Ensures that our tuition and fees are waived for stipended graduate workers.

• Without this article, administrators could begin making us pay fees or tuition however they wish!