Important Briefing on Union Negotiations

On Thursday, April 10 we will hold an extremely important union meeting to report on and discuss where we are in bargaining. There will be a session at each campus: 3-5 pm, Regna Lounge, Poly campus and 6-8 pm, Graduate Lounge, Silver Center, Washington Square.

Bargaining is at a critical juncture with a month until the end of the semester. On April 4, we presented the Administration committee with specific proposals on pay, health benefits and other important economic issues.

NYU has not yet countered these proposals formally, but the Administration representatives have already signaled opposition to certain items, citing the high cost of raising pay for hourly and non-MacCracken employees or providing dependent health coverage. The Administration also argued that they were “philosophically” opposed to including in a contract items which benefit us as both employees and students, such as improving stipends, extending housing benefits, or even — ironically — a professional development fund.

As we all know, there is nothing “philosophical” about our material needs. Like all other university workers, we need decent pay, health coverage and fair benefits to survive in New York City, regardless of our student status. Moreover, improving employment terms for graduate students will make the University’s graduate programs even more competitive, a point NYU itself has conceded.

On April 10th, we will discuss our proposal and the University’s initial response in greater detail. We urge all union supporters to join us for the update, address questions/concerns and brainstorm together about how to maximize pressure on the university to ensure that we win a fair contract by the end of the semester.

Hundreds of union supporters have signed our Open Letter calling upon NYU to grant a fair contract.