Bargaining Update-May 5th
Our strike is making NYU move on a number of issues, but we need to keep fighting to win the contract we deserve! -NYU has finally countered on compensation, while still falling short of our demand for a living wage. NYU has raised its offer of $21/hour by only 50 CENTS, that is, an hourly rate of $21.50 for the first year of the contract. -NYU still refuses to bargain over tuition waivers and is signaling that they will not bargain over our other compensation proposals while tuition waivers remain on the table. This is a shameful refusal to meet the needs of master’s workers, and falsely separates tuition waivers from our other compensation proposals. Part of tomorrow’s member meeting will address how our bargaining strategy should respond to NYU’s intransigence on this issue. The most exciting news from today is that NYU has accepted all our Equity and Inclusion demands! This means: -No limits to filing grievances pertaining to harassment and discrimination—which we believe sets a precedent in the grad labor sector! -Agreement to uphold NYU’s affirmative action policy -Agreement to form a committee to address the issue of power-based harassment and commitment to uphold NYU’s non-discrimination and non-harassment policy -and access and AccommodationsCompliance with NYU policies adhering to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) |
| Childcare and Family -We believe we are close to reaching an agreement that NYU will explore the addition of the coverage of benefits provided by the 2020 NYS Infertility Mandate to the student health plan. Healthcare -NYU continues to refuse 100% premium coverage, which is a cornerstone of our healthcare demands! -NYU has offered more money for the emergency health care fund for out-of-pocket medical expenses—which shows that the pressure of our strike is working!—but the amount they are offering is still not enough! We are currently pushing for the fund to start at $450K and reach $750K by the end of the contract; NYU has put forward a $275K fund that would only reach $475K by the end of the contract. We accepted NYU’s proposal to make the fund available for dental costs. This meant dropping our separate demand for NYU to fully cover out-of-pocket Stu-Dent costs, but it is a welcome step that NYU is finally offering a way to pay for out-of-pocket dental expenses! |