Fellow workers,
This is an exciting time in our union! We have a chance to elect a diverse group of grad workers to engage in negotiations with the UNH administration as members of our Bargaining Committee. We hope you will read the below Notice of Nomination and Election for the GEU-UAW Bargaining Committee carefully and will consider running for a Bargaining Committee position. Together, we will fight to secure a contract necessary to secure economic and social dignity for us all.
| NOTICE OF NOMINATION AND ELECTION FOR THE UNION BARGAINING COMMITTEE (9 POSITIONS) |
Nominations are hereby declared open for the GEU-UAW Bargaining Committee (9 positions):
All eligible unit members who have signed a GEU-UAW union authorization card are automatically nominated for the GEU-UAW Bargaining Committee. If you are interested in running for the Bargaining Committee you must simply accept your nomination.
Eligibility Description
All members of UNH-GEU are eligible to run for the Bargaining Committee if they are members in good standing. To be considered a member in good standing you must have signed a valid union authorization card at the time of nomination.
The Bargaining Committee will have nine (9) positions with the following jurisdictions:
- One (1) COLA, one (1) CEPS, one (1) COLSA, one (1) CHHS, and one (1) PAUL.
- Four (4) at-large positions.
To run for any of the 5 specific jurisdictions, a nominee must be eligible for that specific jurisdiction. For example, in order to run for the PAUL jurisdiction you must be a graduate worker employed under that jurisdiction. The 4 at-large positions have no restrictions and any eligible member can run for those positions regardless of their personal jurisdiction.
Functionally, all members of the Bargaining Committee are considered At-Large, meaning all voters in the election may cast ballots for the written candidates and all committee members represent all workers regardless of jurisdiction.
Any eligible Union authorization card signatory who wishes to accept the nomination for one of the written nine (9) Bargaining Committee positions listed above must indicate their intention in writing by responding to this emailing and including the one jurisdiction they intend to run for which they are eligible (or that they wish to run for an at-large position).
The acceptance of nomination for the specified position above must be received no later than 5:00 pm ET on 4/29: you may accept your nomination by emailing unhgeuelectionscommittee@gmail.com.
Candidate Statements
Each candidate may write and submit a candidate statement of no more than 500 words. These statements will be posted on the GEU-UAW website if there are contested elections. Phone number and email address must be included, but will not be counted toward the 500 words.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to submit the candidate statement. All candidate statements must be received by the time nominations close at 5:00 pm ET on 4/29. See some example candidate statements from the Mt. Sinai Postdoc Bargaining Committee.
Election Dates, Times, and Locations
In the event that the number of eligible candidates who accept nomination for the specified position do not exceed the number of open positions (9 positions, respecting jurisdictional requirements), such candidates will be deemed elected by acclamation and no election will be held.
If there are contested positions, elections would take place electronically from 5/8 to 5/10.
A runoff election, if necessary, will be scheduled after this election period. A runoff is only necessary if any winning candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask us – we are glad to talk through anything you need!
In solidarity,
GEU-UAW Election Committee
The Union will be holding a Town Hall Meeting this Wednesday 3/24 from 3-5 PM in the MUB Theater 1. A member of the elections committee will be present to answer any questions you have and to explain the bargaining process a bit more.
Bargaining Committee Responsibilities
The primary responsibility of the Bargaining Committee is to negotiate an initial collective bargaining agreement with the UNH administration’s team. Election to the committee obligates each member to represent and fight for the best possible contract for all members of the bargaining unit.
The committee will be trained and assisted by experienced negotiators from the Union who will also participate in the negotiations with the University. See below for specific responsibilities.
- Develop initial bargaining goals for ratification by union supporters across campus, using surveys, other relevant contracts, membership feedback from other sources, etc.
- After ratification of initial bargaining goals, develop contract language proposals
- Attend negotiation sessions
- Assess, analyze, and respond to the University’s bargaining proposals and develop union counter proposals.
- Keep the membership and allies informed and educated about the negotiations and the process.
- Coordinate with the Organizing Committee
- Make a recommendation to the membership on whether to approve a contract or take other actions (e.g., a vote to authorize the committee to call for escalating action, if necessary).
Committee members should assume that the time commitment will be significant. Note that the schedule of bargaining itself is subject to negotiation with the UNH administration’s bargaining team.
GEU-UAW Bargaining Committee Elections FAQ
What is the Bargaining Committee?
In order to negotiate a contract between bargaining unit employees and UNH, nine (9) eligible graduate workers will be elected to bargain on behalf of the bargaining unit.
Who is eligible to run for the Bargaining Committee?
All GAs, TAs and RAs who are members (i.e. have signed an union authorization card) of GEU-UAW are eligible to run for the Bargaining Committee. If you have not signed an union authorization card, or are unsure if you have, please let us know and we will provide one to you. Currently, graduate workers on external fellowship or fellowships “without work duties” are excluded from the bargaining unit. However, GEU maintains that they are workers and anticipates fighting for their inclusion in the first collective bargaining agreement. Consequently, graduate workers in these categories have been deemed eligible to run for the Bargaining Committee assuming they have signed a union authorization card.
Please email unhgeuelectionscommittee@gmail.com to submit your nomination. Nominations will be presented to all members of GEU-UAW who will then vote to elect the members they want to represent them.
Eligibility language:
All members of UNH-GEU are eligible to run for the Bargaining Committee if they are members in good standing. To be considered a member in good standing you must have signed a union authorization card at the time of nomination.
What is the time commitment for the Bargaining Committee?
- One 5 hour, in-person bargaining training
- Leading up to bargaining with administration, an average of 6-8 hours a week is expected of the Bargaining Committee for preparation, research, and meetings
- During bargaining, BC members can expect to spend between 6-12 hours a week bargaining and preparing to bargain, with more hours required as bargaining becomes more intense
What happens if fewer people run for the Bargaining Committee than seats available in each jurisdiction?
In this case, those who ran for a seat in those jurisdictions will be considered uncontested and no election will be required for those seats. If some seats are contested and others are not, then an election would proceed for the contested jurisdictions.