This semester, a majority of UNH graduate workers signed our petition demanding fair pay and benefits. At the USNH Board of Trustees meeting last Friday (March 20th), members of our union, along with allies, occupied the room to deliver that petition and tell the board that UNH needs to pay its grad workers a living wage. President Chilton refused to respond – instead, Provost Jen Riley assured the Union and the Board of Trustees that, “we [the University] will have a fair counterproposal for our next meeting.”
That “next meeting” has now come and gone with yesterday’s bargaining session. Provost Riley’s “fair counterproposal” was nowhere to be seen, and the University’s team told our Bargaining Committee it may be weeks before they produce it. The President and Provost seem happy to “talk the talk” in front of their bosses, but refuse to “walk the walk” when it comes to meaningful engagement at the bargaining table.
What did happen at yesterday’s bargaining session:
The Bargaining Committee returned GEU counterproposals on our Training and Transportation articles; we continue to see progress on these topics.
The University returned counterproposals on Health and Welfare Benefits, Holidays, Family Care & Support, Food Security, and Professional Development & Travel. The University’s proposals fail to provide any significant improvements for graduate workers at UNH. They struck language that would provide healthcare coverage to GEs’ spouses and children, free dental and vision coverage, and extended medical leave. Follow the above links to view the University’s language.
Graduate workers at UNH can’t afford to wait for a fair proposal – we need better pay and benefits NOW. To make that happen, we need to keep up the pressure on UNH admin – and that means you and your coworkers need to get involved. To learn more about the fight for a fair contract and how you can contribute, please attend the GEU General Membership Meeting on Monday, April 7th at 5 PM in McConnell 240.
In solidarity,
UNH-GEU-UAW Bargaining Committee