Bargaining Update #9: UC is feeling the heat // Nov 20 Rally
Yesterday, the ASE (Academic Student Employee) Bargaining Team met with UC administrators for another bargaining session. Four months into bargaining, it’s clear that management is feeling the heat–UC is beginning to make movement on a number of critical issues like protections against abuse in the workplace. While ASEs made some important progress on some issues, the UC management is not moving fast enough for a fair contract. On November 20th, ASEs are escalating by joining 12,000 UAW-represented staff at UC for a statewide rally to call on UC to agree to fair contracts.
Updates from Bargaining
At yesterday’s session, the ASE Bargaining Team presented a set of proposals to improve equity in the workplace and guarantee greater job stability for student workers. These proposals include:
Real job security through year-long appointments and multi-year funding guarantees;
Establishing enforceable instructor-to-student ratios to protect the quality of education;
Clear delineation of job duties for ASEs;
Expanding coverage of NRST remission to better align with normative time to degree.
ASEs caucus during yesterday’s bargaining session.
UC management proposed a package on Non-Discrimination and Respectful Work Environment in which they accepted the status quo by backing off their previous attempts to indefinitely delay justice for workers facing harassment, discrimination, and abuse. Management also moved towards ASEs position on Grievance and Arbitration by responding to our proposal from earlier in the day.
Management’s counter-proposal on Defined Contribution Plan put forward the status quo and did not meet any of members’ demands regarding ethical investment of our retirement contributions. UC’s immigration proposal fell short of what the political moment demands by failing to make a real commitment to legal and financial support for international scholars. However UC management did agree to notify the union in the event that immigration enforcement officers are present on campus.
November 20 action
Across the UC system, over 40,000 researchers, educators, and public service professionals are fighting for the future of higher education and research against threats from the Trump administration through fair contracts. It’s time that UC chooses a side. Join your coworkers on November 20th at 4pm on your campus:
