Compensation

• Raise the minimum rate for hourly workers by 30% to $26/hr starting fall 2020, meaning back-dated pay for hourly positions held since that date (details below). This will reach $30/hr by the last year of the contract
• Guarantee 2.75–3% annual increases in total compensation (teaching pay + stipends) to PhD students in teaching positions
• Provide a minimum 5% service bonus for most grad workers*

Healthcare

• Create a new fund starting fall 2021 to cover out-of-pocket health costs, beginning at $300k and increasing to $700k by the last year of the contract
• Increase coverage of healthcare premiums from 90% of the Basic plan to 95% of the Basic or Comprehensive plan for non-fully funded graduate workers
• Extend our dependent premium support fund to include master’s students, while also increasing the size of the fund, and extending the maximum dependent premium subsidy from 75% to 90%

Family benefits

• Guarantee 6 weeks paid parental leave for all graduate workers after one semester of employment
• Double the size of our childcare fund to $200k in first year, and more than triple the fund by the end of the contract

International and immigrant workers

• Mandate sanctuary protections from ICE and other government agencies for ALL NYU community members
• Create a tax and legal services fund beginning at $10k and ending at $20k for international and immigrant student workers

Health and safety

• Recognize NYPD presence on campus as a health and safety issue 
• Convene a health and safety committee at least three times in the next 6 months where we’ll continue to push the demand for cops off campus

Equity and inclusion

• Offer stronger protections against harassment and abuse, and create a committee to address power-based harassment in the workplace
• Enable GSOC to file grievances regarding affirmative action and workplace accessibility

…and much more!

This groundbreaking victory is the result of more than a year of dedicated organizing, democratic decision-making, and collective action. 

What does this mean for striking workers? 

Our strike is now over. This means that all graduate employees will be expected to return to work immediately. You are also now welcome to resume responding to work email, meeting with students, and any other work-related activity. All in-person and virtual picketing has stopped.

What will the ratification process look like? 

The bargaining committee unanimously recommends this agreement for ratification. Members of GSOC get the final say on whether to accept this contract. Every current member of GSOC is eligible to vote. We will be in touch about details of the ratification process soon, and are planning to make many opportunities available for members to discuss the terms of the agreement, share comments, and ask questions prior to the ratification vote.

Will I receive back pay? When do these new benefits go into effect?

Many workers will receive backpay for ‘20-’21! Our last contract expired in summer 2020, and details of retroactive applications of the new contract are still being worked out. Certain articles, like hourly wage and total compensation for PhD students, specify that they begin fall 2020, while others, like the out-of-pocket health insurance fund, specify that they will begin fall 2021. Stay tuned for more on this!