UPDATE: GSOC Has Majority, Requests Recognition

We are pleased to announce that the highly respected American Arbitration Association (AAA) has verified that a clear majority of NYU graduate employees have chosen to be represented by GSOC/UAW Local 2110 in collective bargaining with the NYU administration.

Yesterday afternoon, a delegation formally presented the NYU administration with the official AAA certificate confirming our majority.  The delegation included GSOC/UAW members, NY City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, United States Congressman Jerrold Nadler and other UAW representatives.

In keeping with the democratic will of the majority of NYU graduate employees, the delegation also requested that the NYU administration voluntarily recognize GSOC/UAW Local 2110 as the union for ALL graduate employees at NYU.

Only GSOC/UAW Local 2110 can guarantee the full collective bargaining rights of ALLgraduate employees on campus, including those who perform teaching, research or other administrative work.

Without collective bargaining, the university will continue to make unilateral changes to our working conditions in whatever ways it chooses. 

Having a GSOC/UAW Local 2110 contract provides us with a voice to determine and guarantee our pay, health care, vacation time, and other terms and conditions of our employment — the same right that our colleagues at public universities have enjoyed for over forty years.

We — joined by our political and community allies — have approached the university administration in good faith.  We hope that they will do the right thing by recognizing the full collective bargaining rights of ALL graduate employees at NYU and respectingALL of the work that we do.

If, however, the NYU administration refuses to afford us our internationally recognized rights to collective bargaining and freedom of association, we will seek the legal restoration of our rights with the National Labor Relations Board by the end of the semester.

More updates will certainly follow.