SNRE Solidarity

Hail to the victors!  We have a tentative agreement.  Here is the bargaining team’s summary.  

Dear GEO members and supporters,

Due to our successful walkout today, which shut down activity across
campus, the Administration asked to reenter bargaining this afternoon
in the interest of avoiding a second day. Following a marathon session
of negotiating, at 11:42pm Tuesday night we reached a tentative
agreement on a new contract.

Because of this progress, the GEO Bargaining Team, empowered by
stewards, activists, strike captains, and picketers has CALLED OFF the
second day of the walkout Wednesday.

This is a HISTORIC contract that shows the power of organized labor.
The administration has never been willing to bargain with us during a
walkout before.  They were also willing to engage us on particular
issues on which they were previously unwilling to talk.  We made huge
progress in this round of bargaining, and it is all due to the power of
our members and the support of other unions and workers supporting our
issues.  Some highlights include:

SALARIES: A combination of percentage and lump sum increases
totaling 13.6% (only a percentage point less than our strike platform
proposal). Salaries will increase 6.2% in the first year and 3.5% in
the next two years. In the final year of the contract, a 0.5 GSI will
make $17,395 for two semesters’ work. 

LOW FRACTIONS: Since  bargaining began, GEO membership voiced strong concern for the need to address the problems faced by those working the fewest hours and having the toughest time getting by. This contract includes several historic
achievements for low-fraction employees that GEO has been working
towards for decades. ALL of us will now receive zero-premium health
insurance. Low fractions will finally receive an equal hourly wage for
their work. And all those working 7.5 hours or more per week will now
receive FULL tuition waivers.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE: GEO members made it very clear that the
University should take mental health care issues seriously. The
administration has agreed to move forward by either increasing the cap
on mental health office visits from 25 to 30, or by establishing a
$30,000 pool to pay for those who max out their visits. GEO and the
administration will meet to decide on the optimal approach.

PARENTS’ ISSUES: We continued moving toward ensuring access
for student parents with increased child care subsidies and a new
parental leave policy that ensures 6 paid weeks of maternity leave.

POSTING: We made significant progress in our efforts to make
it easier for grads to find open GSI and GSSA positions away from their
home department. From now on, we will be able to subscribe to a
listserv to which all available positions will be posted (and
unsubscribe when you get one).

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES: Through this contract campaign, we’ve raised awareness in the union and across the University about the issues faced by employees with disabilities. While we were unable to persuade the administration to immediately address these employees’ needs, we have put a process in place which will facilitate continued progress. Next year, GEO and the administration
will jointly hire a GSSA whose projects will include working with employers with  mployees to address the barriers they face at this institution. Look for more action ahead as we continue to work with all of those across campus who are joining together to make this a truly accessible university.

The tentative agreement will be presented to the GEO membership at our
March 31 Membership Meeting and sent for ratification by the entire
membership.  Questions and details about the contract will be addressed
there.

As a union, we offer our heartfelt thanks to all the supporters who
played a key role in making these historic gains possible: construction
workers who took a day’s pay cut to stand in solidarity with us;
students who marched on the picket lines; LEO members and other faculty
who cancelled classes and respected our picket lines; the great cooks
from the Wobbly Kitchen who fed us; and the union brothers and sisters
from around the country who sent in faxes and letters of support, and
joined us in our efforts today.

In solidarity,
Colleen Woods
GEO Lead Negotiator

Helen Ho

GEO President