GSOC-UAW Action Update
As the academic year comes to a close, we, the NYU graduate employees, continue to organize to reaffirm our majority support for Our Union, GSOC/UAW! Even as the university administration continues its attempt to deny us our right to unionize, we continue to make significant progress toward winning union recognition and being able to collectively bargain with the NYU administration over our working conditions.
HEARINGS CONCLUDE AT THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD!
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearings, which began last November, concluded last month and we are awaiting a decision from the Board. We are optimistic the Board will decide in our favor; that graduate students who teach and work as research assistants are employees and have the right to organize a union. After the Board issues its decision, which we anticipate will be during the 2011-12 academic year, it will conduct an election and GSOC/UAW members will have the opportunity to vote “UNION-YES”.
In the meantime, we will continue to organize and build our union in anticipation of an upcoming election. GSOC organizers will continue reaching out to grad workers over the summer and into the fall. If you are working this summer and/or the fall, please get in touch as we are always working to keep our information up to date. Our contact information is at the bottom of the email, or you can use our online form here.
GRADUATE EMPLOYEES AT NYU-POLYTECHNIC FILE FOR UNION RECOGNITION!
On May 5th, a majority of teaching, research and graduate assistants at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) filed a petition for union representation at the Brooklyn office of the NLRB! This is very exciting news and demonstrates that the movement of grad employee unionization is building! You can read more about the grad employees at NYU-Poly here.
PART-TIME NYU FACULTY RATIFY 2nd HISTORIC CONTRACT
ACT-UAW Local 7902, the Union for part-time faculty at NYU, negotiated a new contract that was ratified by its membership in April. The agreement entails pay increases over the next five years and breaks new ground by covering for the first time, benefits and working conditions for part-time faculty working summer session. More details on the agreement are available on the ACT-UAW website, please click here.
GSOC/UAW WORK-IN PACKS BOBST LIBRARY MAIN FLOOR!
On May 2nd, dozens of GSOC/UAW members peacefully, yet enthusiastically spoke-out in the lobby of Bobst Library to reassert our majority to the NYU administration and commemorate the year since we filed a petition at the Labor Board for union recognition. Social and Cultural Analysis PhD candidate Jan Padios and Professor of Sociology Jeff Goodwin spoke in front of Bobst after our Work-In. Goodwin lauded the will of graduate employees to organize, saying that he felt “union envy” on behalf of the many faculty members who want to form a union of their own.
GSOC/UAW ON FACEBOOK!
In a display of solidarity with the 21st century, GSOC/UAW is now on Facebook! Be sure to “Like” the union for graduate employees at NYU so that you receive frequent updates from the Union and other related developments pertaining to graduate employees, higher education, and the labor movement.
