UNH Graduate Workers,
Many thanks to those who came out to observe our third bargaining session on Monday! At this session, the Bargaining Committee presented five new articles to the University and heard four counter-proposals from the University. This brings our total to 22 non-economic articles currently under negotiation!
The articles proposed by UNH-GEU at this session are:
- Intellectual Property: We demand clear guidelines regarding graduate employees’ (GEs’) ownership rights for their research, data, and teaching materials.
- International Workers: We demand that the University provides comprehensive resources and support for international GEs, including access to an emergency helpline, meetings with immigration attorneys, and a working group to discuss the English language needs of GEs.
- Job Posting and Hiring: The current job posting process for open positions available to GEs is unclear and unreliable. We propose a centralized system for job posting and hiring so GEs exploring extra positions or post-funding opportunities can easily search for and apply for positions.
- Job Security: We propose several measures to ensure the security of GE’s appointments. Specifically, we demand that the University honor all appointment durations. We also propose guaranteed funding for three years for Master’s students and seven years for PhD students.
- Union Management Committee: We propose the establishment of a committee composed equally of Union and University representatives. This committee will meet monthly to discuss issues related to the collective bargaining agreement. This committee will be important in facilitating communication between the Union and the University.
UNH presented counter-proposals to the following articles:
Our next bargaining session will be Monday, November 4th, at 1 pm. Everyone is welcome to observe – please come and show your support! Joining the bargaining sessions is a great way to better understand how negotiations work, show the University the power we have as a union, and to provide encouragement for your fellow grad workers and bargaining committee members!
Are you wondering what a bargaining session is like? You’ll be asked to observe quietly but feel free to bring work to do in the background. During caucuses (when UNH and UNH-GEU break for discussion), you’ll be welcome to give input to the bargaining committee or ask questions!
In Solidarity,
UNH GEU-UAW Bargaining Committee