May 10th – Bargaining Update

Dear Fellow Members:

As we begin week 3 of our strike, it’s clear that the strike is working! Check out the bargaining update below for updates on major wins around our international and immigrant worker demands. These wins are significant, and they only happened because of YOU withholding your labor and making our disruption visible on the picket line! 

Membership meeting and survey

With wins on out-of-pocket healthcare costs, international and immigrant worker demands, and more, we know that our strike is working! We think we are close to reaching a tentative agreement, but we need to hear from you on our strategy regarding healthcare premiums moving forward.

Since the start of bargaining, we’ve demanded 100% coverage for both the Basic and Comprehensive student plans. Despite extending our current 90% premium coverage to the Comprehensive plan, NYU has refused to move further. Please complete this very short survey to help us plan a path forward on this proposal.

Meetings and past surveys have shown that this is a key issue for GSOC members. That’s why we need to hear from you!

Bargaining update

TL;DR: 

-HUGE wins on international and immigrant worker fund + protections against representatives of governmental agencies entering NYU buildings and targeting NYU community members based on immigration status 

-Increases on compensation 

Here’s more information from our bargaining session today, which lasted from 10am to 7pm today. We achieved two major wins: 

• Tax and legal assistance fund for international and immigrant students, starting at $10K and reaching $20K by the end of the contract 
• A side letter which states that NYU will not allow representatives of governmental agencies to enter NYU buildings, and that NYU will not voluntarily give permission to representatives of governmental agencies to enter NYU buildings for the purposes of targeting NYU community members based on immigration status or for the purpose of detention or deportation 

NYU also moved on: 

• NYU offered an hourly rate starting at $26, ending at $29.50 by the end of the contract. We countered with a proposal starting at $26 and ending at $30.
• NYU came back with higher percent increases on combined teaching pay and stipend payments for PhD students with teaching positions, but we’re pushing for more. 
  • NYU’s current proposal: 2.8% for AY ‘20-’21, 2.75% AY ‘21-22, 2.5% each following year 
  • Our proposal: 3.5% for AY ‘20-’21t, 3% each following year 

Where we didn’t see movement: 

• NYU still refuses to move on healthcare premiums, maintaining its proposal for 90% coverage of the basic and comprehensive plans. We are still fighting for 100% coverage, but we need your input on our strategy moving forward via the survey and membership meeting tomorrow. 
• We are awaiting a response from NYU on our health and safety demands. We withdrew our demand regarding legal observers, allowing us to focus on pushing for NYU to end contracting with the NYPD for graduation and other events, and to agree to not allow cops on campus without a warrant.   

Join us outside Bobst on TUESDAY from 10-2 to build power on the picket line! We’ll have informal discussions between picketing to talk about the ongoing strike, issues academic workers face, and how to build momentum in the years to come.