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