Contract Update Meeting on Thursday!

GAU Bargaining Blog: Update #9

Negotiations have resumed for the Spring semester. Here’s the run-down:

First, we’ve finally TAed the non-discrimination language. This was a critical point for us during this negotiation cycle - to make contract language more inclusive and help to secure better protections to make URI a safer, more inclusive work environment for graduate students. 

And we have made progress on having Vision insurance! The representatives from URI have tentatively agreed to provide Vision Coverage to be added to the GA insurance package. The specific details of what this will cover (if/how it will cover the cost of exams, glasses, contacts, etc.) must still be considered and outlined. The catch is, this Vision Coverage would not take effect until September 2024. In other words, this means that the first two full years of our three-year contract will not be covered with Vision Insurance for Graduate Students. 

Since our last update to the Bargaining Blog, the URI reps have offered a new proposal for wages for GAs at URI. When the initial proposal was communicated, the wage increase would not have been sufficient to cover the increased cost of graduate student fees, particularly for Level 1 and Level 2 graduate students. The new proposal indicates a slight increase from the initial offer. 

NOW:

Level 1: $20,000

Level 2: $20,225

Level 3: $20,500

INITIAL PROPOSAL:

Level 1: $20,600

Level 2: $20,835

Level 3: $21,115

CURRENT PROPOSAL:

Level 1: $20,750

Level 2: $21,500

Level 3: $22,500

This is somewhat higher than the initial wage increase that was proposed. And this proposal shows a wage increase that, on average, nearly covers the proposed increase in graduate student fees.

But is this wage increase enough to ease the burden of the increased cost of student fees and the increased cost of living in Rhode Island in a post-pandemic climate? Does this proposed increase in wages indicate that the University values the education, expertise, and labor of graduate students, and is committed to being a competitive employer for graduate students coming to the University of Rhode Island?

We want to know what our members think before we return to the table with the URI representatives. Come meet with us, on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 5pm in the Anchor Room in the Higgins Welcome Center. You can also access the meeting online, via Zoom. Check your email for the link! We’ll have a chance to meet, go over the current proposals and answer questions about the proposals we’ve shared, where negotiations stand, and what our GAs can do to help move negotiations toward our shared goals.

In the meantime, keep writing to URI representatives. Talk to your fellow grad students AND to your faculty! Our graduate programs and their faculty have a stake in this too: if URI is not a competitive university for wages – among other things – our graduate programs, and ultimately the University itself will suffer.

And please engage with us online. Email GAU with your concerns at uri.gau@gmail.com. We want to hear from our membership what issues matter and what experiences you have had at URI as a GA, good or bad. And make sure to follow and connect with us on social media. Share about your own experiences as a graduate student at URI using the hashtags #ramsneedraises, #urigau, #uricontract2022 and #urigaucontractnegotiations.

Folks, the powers-that-be tend to underestimate and undervalue us. Our position at the university can be seen as tenuous and inconsequential. But WE ARE ESSENTIAL to the function of the University as an educational institution. Our labor, whether that is working in a lab, teaching an undergraduate course, TAing for faculty, or contributing to the scholarship and professional output of the university, is VITAL to the continued growth and success of the University. We work hard for the University; let’s work together to make sure that the University also works for us.

See you soon: Thursday, Jan. 26th, 5pm, Anchor Room, Welcome Center or online via Zoom!

Yours in solidarity,

Graduate Assistants United

Want to negotiate a stronger contract? Here's how!

Dear Graduate Assistants,

If you’ve been following our 2022 Contract Bargaining Blog or attended our recent Contract Meeting, you know that the current contract negotiations financial proposal from University of Rhode Island is unsatisfactory. The current financial proposal from URI includes a wage increase of only 3.5%, meaning that our wages will only increase approximately $600 for the year. And this year, URI’s graduate school intends on increasing our graduate student fees nearly 9%. At this rate, by the end of our three-year contract, URI's GAs will be making $10,000 less than our closest comparative university.

It’s time to make our voices heard at URI. Our Graduate Assistants at URI are vital to the successful function of the University: we work as professionals and provide essential labor necessary for the continued growth and development of the students, programs, and research in our respective fields. The University of Rhode Island needs to acknowledge the valuable role that graduate assistants play in the function of the university and provide graduate students with a livable wage for their labor.

Here is how you can help! We want to make sure that the administration is listening and hearing what graduate students need. Here are our Contract Actions and how you can help:

1. Post about being a Graduate Assistant at URI

   • Showcase the work that you do, especially during the two-week “unpaid vacation” time during winter break.

   • What are your roles and responsibilities at the University? What labor do you do? What ways do you go above and beyond? Post about regular duties you perform, special training that you have, hazards of your job, roles you perform beyond your job title, why your job matters within the university, etc.

   • Use the hashtags: #ramsneedraises #urigau #urigaucontract2022 #urigaucontractnegotiations

2. Make sure to engage with and amplify posts from URI GAU about our contract negotiations. High visibility is KEY in getting the attention of the administration, so the more we share posts and use our hashtags, the better!

3. Talk to your fellow graduate students! Talk to your supervisors or graduate directors! If you are reading this, then you have the latest info about contract negotiations. We need support from all of our graduate assistants, as well as faculty and staff. They should care about how the graduate assistants are treated, because we are vitally important to the working function of the university. And they should care about our pay rate because lack of competitive funding will make it harder for programs at URI to recruit and retain students!

4. Write letters to the administration urging them to improve the financial proposals and provide URI GAs with a liveable wage! We want to flood the inboxes, emails, and mailboxes of the administration at URI so that they hear the concerned voices of their graduate students. We need to be making a living wage!

   • Write an email/letter or call the members of the administration responsible for negotiating with GAU and tell them why GAs deserve a better wage.

   • Tell them why GAs are essential to the university: What are your roles and responsibilities at the University? What labor do you do? What ways do you go above and beyond? What are regular duties you perform, special training that you have, hazards of your job, roles you perform beyond your job title, why your job matters within the university, etc.

   • Tell them about the financial struggles of graduate students: affording rent in an area with a cost of living/housing crisis, struggling to pay graduate student fees, having to use Rhody Outpost food pantry to get by, etc.

   • Include our GAU solidarity graphic in the signature line of your email!

      
Graduate Assistants are critical to the continued function and success of the university. Our labor is essential for the university, and we deserve to make a reasonable wage for the labor that we do. URI works because WE DO.

We’ve provided some templates to get your started (download links below!), but feel free to branch out!

As always, you can email your questions or concerns to uri.gau@gmail.com.

Let’s show the administration the work that they don’t always see or acknowledge and tell them that we demand a reasonable, living wage!

Solidarity forever,
Graduate Assistant United

Letter writing instructions and template download link

Social media graphic 1, graphic 2, and graphic 3

Latest Contract Updates

GAU Bargaining Blog: Update #8

Here’s the deal with current negotiations with the University Representatives.

It has been a long process up to this point. The Contract Negotiations Team has been in formal negotiations with the University since July, and the work behind the scenes has been going on even longer (basically, since this time last year).

Up until now, the negotiations process was grinding along slowly, but productively. We were able to work with the administration to develop the Research Incentive (an award for students who receive certain research grants), yearlong contracts, improving working conditions (like compensation for working holidays), and most recently, improving our grievance process for grad students who have experienced a contract violation. These are big wins for grad students!

We have had to drop a few items that the administration has said they cannot budge on: for example, they cannot guarantee housing in a work contract and they do not have jurisdiction over parking service issues (that’s Transportation and Parking). So, there are a few items that we already know aren’t going to move further during negotiations this time (though we’re still working through other avenues  to try to  improve these issues for graduate students in the future).

However, the Fall semester has brought negotiations to a frustrating point. It has been very difficult to set up meetings with the representatives from URI to come to the table to bargain (they’re not refusing to bargain; but having them find availability to schedule meetings has been difficult). While members of the team can be absent and meetings still be held, there are rules about who must be present in order to enter Tentative Agreements and to make any formal arrangements. If the people necessary to the process aren’t able to be present, we legally cannot move things forward at that time. So, scheduling around vacations, etc. has made it really difficult to regularly meet with the representatives of URI and move forward in the past few weeks. This is why there haven't been many new developments in the past few weeks.

The Negotiations Team is still pushing for better anti-discrimination language and protections for our LGBTQIA+ graduate students, which has been met with some resistance. There seems to be some concern over the potential phrasing of these protections, or the complexity of implementing the policies. But if URI is going to claim to be a university that has deeply held values of inclusion and respect, then why would there be pushback over implementing contract policy that helps to protect the rights and safety of our LGBTQIA+ students? It is critically important, to the members of the negotiating team and to our graduate students that URI be a safe and inclusive place to work. Anything less is not tolerable.

And the moment that we’ve all been eagerly anticipating – the presentation of financial proposals – was extremely disappointing. The University’s financial proposal for wages in the new contract were unacceptably low; they proposed a salary increase of 3.5% per year. But what does this look like?

NOW:

Level 1: $20,000

Level 2: $20,225

Level 3: $20,500

PROPOSED:

Level 1: $20,600

Level 2: $20,835

Level 3: $21,115

This stipend rate does not keep up with inflation, doesn't provide our graduate assistants with a livable wage (especially given the increase in costs of living in RI), and is not competitive with comparable, neighboring institutions. If this proposal were to be accepted as is, by the end of our three-year contract, URI's GAs will be making $10,000 less than our closest comparative university.

Even now, Level I pay at URI is $20,000, while at UConn Level I (or pre-master's) students have a stipend rate of $25,792. Our Level 3 (PhD candidate) stipend is only $20,500. So, a graduate student holding only a Bachelors at UConn is making nearly $6,000 more than PhD candidates at URI. This financial proposal does not meet the needs of the graduate students currently employed as graduate assistants at URI and is not competitive, which does not bode well for recruitment and retention of graduate students in our programs at this university in the future.

In trying to find creative solutions to lowering the cost of living for graduate students while trying to also create a feasible alternative to help the University meet the needs of its bottom line, we proposed several additional options, such as providing graduate students with university meal plans or lowering student fees. A university meal plan would help lower our out-of-pocket costs of food, since we know that many of our graduate students face food insecurity and rely on the Rhody Outpost and other local food pantries in order to be able to afford basic food and necessities. Having a university meal plan would lessen this burden and unused budget for the plan would simply be reabsorbed by the university. This plan was given a verbal no.

We also suggested reducing or removing student fees, which currently cost graduate students around $1,600 per year: approximately 8-9% of their yearly stipend. Reducing or eliminating student fees would mean that graduate students have more take-home pay, more money in their pockets to pay the bills. This proposal was not only denied, but the graduate school is actually raising graduate student fees this year.

The bottom line about the bottom line is that graduate students at University of Rhode Island can barely afford the cost of living without assistance. Many of us need to use the same campus food pantry that we help our undergraduate students access, because we simply cannot afford to eat otherwise. This is reprehensible, and the University should be ashamed of itself.

So, what can we do? Right now, we need solidarity and action from our membership. Our strength is in our membership and high visibility is KEY at this crucial point in the bargaining process. Here’s what you can do:

1.  Talk to your fellow graduate students! If you are reading this, then you have the latest info about contract negotiations. Talk to your colleagues about what is going on!

2. Talk to your supervisors or graduate directors! We need support from faculty and staff. They should care about how the graduate assistants are treated, because we are vitally important to the working function of the university. And they should care about our pay rate because lack of competitive funding will make it harder for programs at URI to recruit and retain students!

3. Engage with URI GAU on social media! Share our posts and info. It’s a great way to stay informed with updates and to share information to fellow graduates and other support networks in and out of the university.

4. Email GAU with your concerns! We want to hear from our membership what issues matter and what experiences you have had at URI as a GA, good or bad. Email GAU at uri.gau@gmail.com and tell us what you’re thinking: about the contract or your experiences and concerns as a GA.

5. Join our Contract Action Team! Get involved and stay informed of calls to action from our membership. You can join our Slack channel for updates or make sure that you’re on our membership mailing list.

Let’s make our voices heard within the University. Remember, URI works because WE DO!

Solidarity forever!

Graduate Assistants United

Bargaining Blog Update #7

It seems like it’s been a long time since there was a Bargaining Blog update, and that’s because it has been. Since our last update at the beginning of October, we’ve only been able to schedule one additional meeting with the representatives from the University. And our upcoming meetings are widely spaced out, because of difficulty getting scheduled meetings on the books with the representatives who need to be there. We’re doing everything we can to get the University reps to the table so we can continue making progress towards a new contract.

It’s time to put our Contract Action Team into action! We need you! Our membership is where our strength as a bargaining unit comes from. At this point, we want to show the administration that our union is strong, and that we deserve and demand an equitable contract that provides better transparency and protection for grad students at URI. And we need your help. Send us an email at uri.gau@gmail.com and let us know if you’d like to help our Contract Action Team get to work. Join the movement, and let’s show up for our fellow grads! We are stronger together, and our power as a bargaining unit lies in the support of our members.

Involvement in the Contract Action Team doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Members can participate at whatever level they have the bandwidth for. Here’s what we need volunteers to do:  

Increase visibility of GAU

Wear URI GAU buttons and t-shirts on campus 

Hang GAU signs on your office 

Add GAU logo to your email signature

Post about GAU on social media

Show up for GAU and our grads

Show up to General Assembly Meetings and Contract Info Meetings

Show up for Lunch and Learns

Talk to other members

Sign and get others to sign petitions

Pass out leaflet on campus

Postering the campus with GAU posters

Speak at meetings with the administration

Speak up about your experiences as a graduate student

Write and signal boost for GAU

Write letters or postcards to the administration

Call the administration about our concerns

Publish op eds or talk on local radio or podcasts

If any of these action items sound like something in your wheelhouse, contact us! We need your skills! Our power is in our people, so we need our membership to be actively involved in helping us keep momentum for bargaining our contract. 

Solidarity to the end, solidarity on the seas and oceans, solidarity with growing confidence and growing strength in our Union, we will defend our Union together, solidarity on the beaches, solidarity on the stomping ground, solidarity in the fields and in the streets, solidarity in the hills, solidarity on campus: we shall never surrender.

Solidarity forever,

URI Graduate Assistants United

Our Next Update is Here!

GAU Bargaining Blog: Update #6

The contract negotiations have been continuing as the semester has been progressing. There are some contract proposals where we’ve been able to reach tentative agreements such as the pay level advancement timeline for graduate students; contract language on training hours and requirements; and our proposal for research incentives.

The research incentives are a proposal that GAU is very excited to have brought to the University. These incentives for graduate students would provide cash awards for graduate students who receive qualifying fellowships or grants.  There are some details being solidified, including what grants would qualify and how the awards would be processed. This is a big win for GAU, but it’s a huge win for graduate students, who can earn the awards as well as grants/fellowships and also great for the reputation of the school as well. And it’s great for the reputation of the University as well, because we have amazing research, teaching, and scholarship being produced by our graduate students! This is an incentive that benefits all parties!

On the other hand, we still have proposals on the table that need more time to be worked out at the bargaining table. The current big item on the docket is the procedure for grievances for graduate students; the grievance procedure is what GAs can and should use as a recourse when our contracts have been violated and it's necessary to have GAU advocate for us and help get the situation resolved.

Based on the recent graduate survey, nearly 30% of current graduate students indicated that they have hesitated to report issues that they’ve experienced as graduate students.

Among the reasons that graduate students reported for why they didn’t feel comfortable reporting issues were feeling like they would not be taken seriously, that they would face repercussions, or that no action would be taken, and nothing would change. But this isn’t news to graduate students. We know the difficult power dynamics at work for our positions as GAs. And we know how scary and discouraging it can feel when our rights and contracts are violated, especially for new students who may not yet be familiar with their rights and protections from GAU.

We hear you! And we want a better grievance process, so we can get better solutions. This is what GAU is for: protecting the rights and safety of graduate students. This is important and that is why the grievance process has been a large sticking point for the Contract Negotiation Team during this bargaining cycle. It’s imperative that we continue to advocate for what our graduates need and to work with the University’s representatives to improve the process for and treatment of our graduate assistants.

Right now, graduate students do not feel confident in the University administration to protect the rights of graduate students. And we want the University to work with us to create a functional process. After all, URI works because we do. And our grads need to be protected, especially when there is an issue with their contracts being honored by the supervisors that are responsible for them.

We are asking the University to amend the grievance procedure, to make it more functional for graduate students: to give students more time to file a complaint once their contract has been violated and to add more accountability in the grievance process, to help graduate students get acceptable resolutions. We want a process that is accessible, fair, and transparent and more importantly, we want a process that will actually work for our graduate students. 

The grievance process will continue to be a part of the negotiation meetings. Looking ahead, we’re also working on improved non-discrimination language for our contract. GAU has been working with the office of Community, Equity, and Diversity and the Gender and Sexuality Center to develop better non-discrimination language to better protect our Graduate Assistants. We want language for improved protections for marginalized students, especially in instances of grievances based on discrimination. This language would require the university to be proactive instead of reactive in issues regarding racial justice, justice for LGBTQ+ students, disabled students, neurodivergent students, and beyond.

We’re also continuing to work on language around the definition of Graduate Hall Directors, as well as working towards informal recognition of internal fellows and summer TAs as part of the bargaining unit. And of course, we’ll be working with the university to negotiate for improved fair and competitive wages for graduate assistants. Keep an eye out for additional updates and action opportunities as bargaining continues this semester.

Finally, we always want to hear from you! If you have questions about your contract, about the bargaining process, or about your rights as a GA, contact us! If you think that you may have grounds for a grievance or you need an advocate in your work or classroom space, contact us! If you have ideas you want to share or you just want to let us know that things are going well, contact us! We want to know and we want to show up for our Grad Assistants. We are stronger together!

As always, in solidarity,

Graduate Assistants United

Update #5!

GAU Bargaining Blog: Update #5

As the semester gets underway, contract negotiations continue. At this point, the contract negotiations team is deep in the throes of bargaining with representatives of the university. Negotiations have moved past sharing proposals and firmly into negotiating what’s been brought to the table: both on language of the proposals where there is common ground and on the contents of proposals where there has yet to be any consensus on the content.

The overall goal in these meetings is to have the bargaining units (GAU and URI) come to tentative agreements on the proposals that they have negotiated. A tentative agreement means that both sides of the table have been able to work out a resolution on the proposal issues that they feel can be agreed upon by both respective parties. Once there are confirmed tentative agreements on various issues, these proposals will be brought to the whole bargaining unit – including you! – to consider, vote on, and ratify.

So, where are we at right now? GAU and the reps of URI are currently making progress on solidifying contract language and approaching tentative agreements on the process of pay level advancement, parking, overwork, and disciplinary procedures for GAs.

We’ve also introduced the idea of research incentives for graduate students, which we brought forward to the team from URI for consideration during these negotiations. Our initial proposal of the research incentives was met with a promising level of interest from the representatives of URI, who seem to have interest in continuing to discuss these incentives during negotiations.

Next, GAU will continue to work on pushing for results on bigger items, especially expanding and improving the current grievance process for grad students and pushing for improved health insurance. As always, we want to hear from you! If you have questions, comments, or concerns, about the bargaining process, your GA contract, or your rights and responsibilities as GAs at URI, send us an email at uri.gau@gmail.com!

In solidarity,

URI Graduate Assistants United

The Latest Update on Negotiations!

GAU Bargaining Blog: Update #4
The previous GAU Contract reached its expiration date. Here’s what
you need to know!
Our last GAU Contract with URI was scheduled to expire on Wednesday,
August 31st, 2022. This was the date agreed upon when our contracts were
extended one year, during the impact bargaining with the University
following the pandemic peak in Spring 2020. This expiration date has passed
before a new contract has been agreed upon and ratified.
So, what does this mean for graduate students at URI?
In previous contract negotiations, we’ve worked with the University to
establish that when the contract expires before the new contract is in place,
our grad TAs will continue to operate under the protection of the
previous contract in the interim. Until the new contract is in place, we
remain protected by our previous bargaining efforts and carry out our
responsibilities as they are outlined under the previous contract.
TAs should continue to perform their TA duties in their regular capacity. This
means you should still sign your TA contract (as long as the document is
accurate) and continue to work as you normally would.
What about getting paid? TAs will still be paid on the usual pay schedule!
The pay amount you receive will reflect the previous contract, until the new
contract is ratified. Once there is a new contract formally on the books, any
financial changes will be paid to TAs, retroactively from the date of the
previous contract’s expiration. We’ll be able to provide more information on
what that will look like once the financial aspects of the contract have been
agreed upon and ratified.
In the meantime, contract negotiations are continuing, and we’ll provide
more updates soon! During negotiations and always, please feel free to
reach out to GAU with any questions, stories, ideas, concerns, or
encouragement! We want to hear from you! You can contact GAU directly at
uri.gau@gmail.com and come see us at upcoming GAU events.
In Solidarity,
URI Graduate Assistants United
To stay on top of what’s happening with GAU this Fall, don’t forget to check
out GAU’s website blog and our socials:
Add us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/urigau
Add us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/URIGAU
Add us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/urigau/

Negotiations are Moving Forward!

Contract negotiations continue, with the bargaining process beginning in
earnest.
If you’ve been following along with the contract negotiations thus far, the
GAU contract negotiations team has already held a few preliminary meetings
with the representatives from URI, along with NEARI, to work on the new GA
contract. The previous pair of meetings kicked off the contract negotiations
process, with representatives sitting down to present the proposals that they
are bringing to the table for this contract cycle.
In the last meeting, GAU and the University’s representatives began
the next steps in the negotiations process: looking for areas of the
contract where there is common ground to begin ironing out tentative
agreements and beginning to deliberate over proposals that will need to be
negotiated before an agreement can be reached.
This is where the negotiation process is going to take some time, because
the proposals will need to be considered, the terms of the proposals
discussed, the language clarified or amended, and eventually both sides will
need to come to tentative agreements about each proposal on the table.
(And after that, the proposals must be sent to the general membership to be
ratified before the contract is finalized and enacted.)
During the last meeting, GAU and URI were able to come to some mutual
understandings about the spirit and purpose of initial proposals for
consideration. However, while there was some mutual understanding of the
rationale behind the proposals under consideration for this meeting, there is
currently an ongoing discussion about the language and content of the
proposals, which needs to be deliberated and amended as both teams work
through each proposed change. In other words, there are certain items that
GAU and the URI reps seem to agree on in “spirit” but that we need to work
on an agreement on formal contract language (such as updating current
language to help clear up certain processes governed by the contract).
And there are other items discussed in the last meeting that we have not yet
come to an agreement upon, and that will require more review and revision.
For example, the teams came to some initial agreement on language for Pay
Levels for graduate students, but still need consideration of clarifying issues
such as how students advance pay levels or how departments can be
allowed to enhance stipends for TAs (establishing a salary floor, rather than a
ceiling).

There was also a significant discussion of the grievance procedure
for graduate students. The GAU is looking to establish a more thorough,
codified process for formal grievances, to improve the grievance process and
outcomes for graduate students. This proposal was on the table for an
extended time during the meeting, with consideration given to the current
grievance process, proposed changes, where the current grievance process
is weakest, and what needs to be improved to encourage graduate students
to be able to accurately and efficiently use the process to address grievances
with the help of GAU and the University. However, the structure of the
process and the language for the contract are still under review and
consideration, so this is an issue for ongoing negotiations.
So, here’s an opportunity for our GAU members to have an impact
on the current set of negotiations. If you have undergone the grievance
process at URI and want to share your story with us, we want to hear from
you! Tell us about your experience with the current process and give us your
thoughts on what would have made the process work better for you. Did you
find the process easy to understand or was it a difficult process to navigate?
Did you feel that you received adequate support and consideration and did
your grievance had a satisfactory conclusion? What else would you like us to
know, when we return to the negotiations table to continue negotiations on
this issue? Please email us at uri.gau@gmail.com! We want to hear
from you!
Since the last meeting, the GAU Contract Negotiations team has been
considering the proposals put forth by the University and constructing
potential counter proposals. The time between meetings provides both
teams involved in contract negotiations time to look over proposals more
closely and consider how the negotiations will proceed.
For the next meeting, the next issues on the docket should include unpaid
holiday time, bereavement, and additional employment hours, as well as
delving into improving the commitment to anti-discrimination for graduate
student workers.
Are you interested in getting involved with helping to support GAU
throughout the continuing negotiations process? Come on board for
the Contract Action Team (CAT)! There are opportunities for different levels
of involvement – from participating in events to spreading the word to active
organizing – so all members all welcome! You can contact GAU directly at
uri.gau@gmail.com or contact our Chief Negotiator Jacob Green at
gree9242@uri.edu to get involved. We’re stronger together, so let’s
continue to show up for each other.
In Solidarity,

URI Graduate Assistants United
To stay on top of what’s happening with GAU this summer, don’t forget to
check out GAU’s website blog and our socials:
Add us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/urigau
Add us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/URIGAU
Add us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/urigau/

Negotiations Update #2

This week, GAU’s negotiations with URI continued with two consecutive days of negotiating sessions. When last our negotiations team met with representatives of the University, they set up ground rules for the contract bargaining, which delineate the procedures for upcoming negotiations.

During the two sessions held this week, the GAU Negotiations Team detailed proposed changes to the current contract and also heard proposals from the University reps. This gave representatives on both sides of the table a chance to hear out important issues, see where there’s already common ground, and find out what issues will need to be taken to the bargaining table.

What are we looking to achieve in this contract cycle? Based on our Contract Priorities Survey from this year, these are some of the main priorities of our grad students:

In our proposals to the University, GAU is working for increased protections from discrimination and harassment for graduate students; improved working conditions and recognition; better health coverage that includes vision insurance; workable solutions to issues of housing, food insecurity, and cost of living; improving research opportunities and incentives; and of course, improving the take-home wages of our graduate student workers through wage raises and reduction of fees. It's important that our graduate assistants have increased workplace protections, more educational opportunities, fair pay for their labor, and overall better quality of life.

So, what’s next? Now that all of the proposed changes are on the table, negotiations will move on to working through the nuts and bolts of the proposals of both GAU and URI, to shape the new contract. First, GAU will continue to meet with the reps from URI and NEARI to begin to iron out items for the new contract where we can easily find common ground. The first step to developing our new contract is to find the concerns that we share with the University and work towards tentative agreements on those items. Next, the Contract Negotiations team will continue to work with URI and NEARI, proposal by proposal, to negotiate the new GAU contract. Once there are some tentative agreements worked out, the Negotiations Team and our GAU E-Board will set up opportunities for our GAU members to meet to discuss developments and to read, discuss, question, and eventually ratify proposed agreements for the contract.

As negotiations continue (and really get rolling), we’ll keep you up to date on the progress. And as always, you can reach out to GAU at any time with your thoughts, feedback, concerns, and support by emailing or messaging our socials, coming to General Assembly meetings, or joining our Contract Action Team (CAT). There are a lot of ways to get involved in the process, with varying levels of commitment, so drop us a line!

And of course, we want to say a big thank you to the grad students who’ve already shown their support by filing out our surveys, coming to meetings, volunteering for CAT, contacting GAU with thoughts or concerns, and by being members of GAU. We’re stronger together, so thank you!

Don’t forget to get in touch with us at uri.gau@gmail.com if you want to be involved with our Contract Action Team or with your questions and comments. To stay on top of what’s happening with GAU this summer, don’t forget to check out GAU’s website blog and our socials: 

Add us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/urigau

Add us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/URIGAU

Add us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/urigau/

Solidarity forever!

URI Graduate Assistants United

Ground Rules for Negotiations

Ground Rules for Negotiations Between the University of Rhode Island and the

University of Rhode Island Graduate Assistants Union (NEARI/GAU)

1. Each negotiating session shall be held at a time and place to be mutually agreed upon by

the Parties.

2. Each negotiating team shall be entitled to hold caucuses during the negotiating session.

3. Caucuses may be of reasonable length, but may be extended by mutual agreement.

4. There shall be a designated negotiator for each side who shall act as the spokesperson.

5. All negotiating sessions shall be closed. Except by mutual agreement, attendance shall

be limited to members of the respective negotiating teams.

6. There shall be no minutes of negotiating sessions. Each party shall be responsible for

taking its own notes.

7. The Parties agree to provide each other with information requested for collective

bargaining purposes as provided for by statute.

8. Each side shall accept, reject, counter-propose, or hold each item as proposed by the

other side. Both negotiating teams shall have the authority to enter into tentative

agreements. When agreement is reached on any item, such item shall be reduced to

writing and signed by both chief negotiators, subject however, to final acceptance of the

entire proposed contract by the URI Graduate Assistants Union and the University.

9. All proposals by either Party shall be submitted in writing with sufficient copies for all

members of the negotiating team to which proposals are submitted. Full proposals shall

be exchanged no later than the third negotiating session, except by mutual agreement.

However, this shall not restrict the submission of counter-proposals.

10. The agenda, time, and location for the meeting will be decided upon in advance by

mutual agreement.

Negotiations Have Started!!

Dear Graduate Students,

Negotiations for the new Graduate Assistants contract have begun! This past week, representatives from the GAU’s Contract Negotiations Team met with representatives from URI to set up the ground rules for negotiations for the new GA contracts. The ground rules were agreed upon and formal negotiations are set to take place over the coming weeks! You can see them here.

The GAU’s Contract Negotiations team has been hard at work preparing for contract negotiations between the GAU and the University: meeting with representatives from NEARI, researching, hearing from our grad students, writing contract proposals, and working to serve the needs of our graduate students here at URI as we negotiate our new contract with the University. The GAU has previously bargained for raises, health insurance, dental insurance, parking passes, and more. For the upcoming contract, you’ve voiced your priority concerns and we’ve listened! Our current grad students want competitive wages, reduced student fees, better health insurance and vision coverage, support for housing and parking issues, and more. We’re committed to bargaining for the best contract possible for our fellow grad students.

In the coming weeks, the GAU will need your support, to bring visibility to the critical work and contributions that our graduate student population brings to the University of Rhode Island. This is a great time to get involved in the Contract Action Team (CAT), which will help provide support to the GAU as negotiations progress. Being involved in the CAT is a way to help the GAU have the best resources and assistance to have the strongest negotiations we can. There are lots of ways that you can be involved, from small actions like amplifying the work of our grads to bigger roles in organizing action. Whatever way you can choose to get involved, you’ll be helping the negotiations team and building our graduate students’ network of support as we work to protect and advocate for grad students at URI. Our union is stronger when we work together! So, get in touch if you’d like to get involved!

To stay on top of what’s happening with the GAU this summer, don’t forget to check out the GAU’s website blog and our socials: 

Add us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/urigau

Add us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/URIGAU

Add us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/urigau/

Yours in solidarity,

URI Graduate Assistants United