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