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