TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED!

Barely a day after thousands of workers on every campus held massive Last Chance Pickets, both the Academic Student Employee (ASE) and Research & Advising Staff Bargaining Committees have reached full Tentative Agreements (TAs) on contracts with UC management. Workers will vote on whether to ratify these TAs this coming week from Tuesday, 3/17 at 9:00am through Friday, 3/20 at 5:00pm. 

With this Tentative Agreement, Academic Student Employees have compelled management to side with workers and not with Trump. This TA delivers on the priorities ASEs have fought for including job security, immigration protections, and fair and stable pay. This tentative agreement:

• Eliminates all pay disparities between UC campuses and dramatically reduces inequities between job titles and departments over the life of the contract.

• Provides TA and GSR raises between 12% and 45%, and raises for hourly workers of 21% on average and up to 62% over the life of the contract. 

• Creates a $400,000 legal consultation fund for international workers, and guarantees rehiring rights for workers who lose and regain their visa status, three weeks of paid visa leave, and non-collaboration with ICE.

• Makes 50% appointments the standard for all PhD and MFA TAs and GSRs.

• Defeats UC management’s attempts to undermine workplace rights for GSRs.

• Increases childcare benefits and ensures nearly every working parent can access premium-free dependent healthcare.

• And many more expansions of our rights and benefits!

Because tens of thousands of ASEs organized, took action, and stood together, we won a tentative agreement that sets a new standard for higher ed contracts across the country. 

The Bargaining Committee recommends a YES vote on ratification. Look out for a complete summary and draft of the full tentative agreement to review soon. Now, let’s prepare to make sure as many of our coworkers as possible participate in next week’s vote on whether to ratify a new contract.