Tldr; Come to our potluck at 5pm in NERB 1100 to hear an update on bargaining at our Thanksgiving social!! All are welcome to attend, with or without a dish to share.
Today, our Bargaining Committee had our third bargaining session with the UMass Chan Administration. We reached a tentative agreement on Severability, and we presented two new articles: Recognition and Prayer and Meditation Space. Recognition defines who is in our Union. Prayer and Meditation Space would provide a prayer space in each building where student workers work. These are spaces that should be available and easily accessible from student workers’ labs.
Unfortunately, following an hour-and-a-quarter-long caucus, UMass Chan presented counterproposals on just three articles, including one that we presented just today: Discipline and Dismissal, Prayer and Meditation Space, and Training. You can find all of the proposals and counterproposals on our bargaining tracker here. UMass Chan had more than three (3) weeks to engage with the 17 articles we presented in our 10/08 and 10/30 sessions, but came into the session underprepared. We hope that by our next session on December 9th, the UMass Chan Administration will have prepared counterproposals on more articles.
To show UMass Chan that we want a strong contract NOW, click here to RSVP for our next session on Dec. 9. Many thanks to our observers who showed up to support this process!
You can find all of the proposals on our bargaining tracker here.
In solidarity,
Kathleen Desevin, Graduate Student, Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology
Clint McDaniel, Graduate Student, Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology
Akshay Alaghatta, Graduate Student, Medicine
Milky Abajorga, Graduate Student, Molecular Medicine
Will Cruz, Graduate Student, RNA Therapeutics
CORE-UAW Student Worker Bargaining Committee