University of California (UC) Academic Student Employees (ASEs) and Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2865 and Student Researchers United (SRU-UAW) ratified two new bargaining agreements on Dec. 23.
For GSRs, the new contract establishes a “new, six-point salary scale,” which would start at $34,564.50, according to a press release from the university containing details of the deal.
ASEs would see a minimum pay increase from $23,250 to $34,000, according to the LA Times. ASEs at the UC campuses of Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles would see an increase to $36,500, which is $2,500 more than other campuses. The union had initially asked for the minimum pay to be set at $54,000.
The contract also included child care reimbursements, with the university agreeing to provide $1,350 per quarter or $2,025 per semester for both bargaining units. This includes $1,350 for the summer sessions.
“Our members stood up to show the university that academic workers are vital to UC’s success. They deserve nothing less than a contract that reflects the important role they play and the reality of working in cities with extremely high costs of living,” UAW President Ray Curry said, speaking of the contract before the ratification vote.
Opinion on the agreement was mixed at the start of the voting period last week, with some expressing their opposition to the contract from the start.
The New University received a document via email containing a statement by bargaining team members who voted against the tentative agreement. Their decision was based on the belief that “the UC’s mediated proposals fail to deliver on the major demands of the strike.”
“We believe that with major points of leverage on the horizon, we stand to win more than is currently on the table if we continue to exercise the power of our withheld labor,” the statement read. “This current offer represents UC’s attempt to buy us off while we are in a position of strength.
UCI organizations such as the Radical Student Collective (RSC) had also voiced their opposition to the deal, taking to Instagram to explain why union members should vote no on ratification.
“No. We will not ratify a contract that leaves disabled students behind. We will not ratify a contract that does not support student parents, and in fact makes a mockery of them by offering barely more than since last time,” read a post from @berkeleyrankandfile that was shared by RSC at UCI.
However, other union members called this deal “historic” and urged their fellow members to vote to ratify the agreement.
“Vote YES. We’ve made history in this contract fight and we will continue to do so through the power of the organized working class. I’m proud to have served as an organizer and bargaining team member so far and I can’t wait to see what more we can achieve,”, a GSR at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and SRU-UAW bargaining team member Tanzil Chowdhury said on their personal Twitter account @only_tanz.
Previously, the New University reported on the six-week strike that began in mid-November.
ASEs from UAW 2865 voted to ratify the contract by a 24% margin, with 11,386 members (62%) voting for and 7097 (38%) against. GSRs from SRU-UAW voted to ratify by a larger margin of 36%, with 10,057 (68%) and 4640 (32%) against ratification.
“[This] ratification demonstrates yet again the University’s strong commitment to providing every one of our hardworking employees with competitive compensation and benefit packages that honor their many contributions to our institution, to our community, and to the state of California,” said UC executive director of systemwide labor relations Letitia Silas in a press release.
The ratification came a week after university and union representatives reached a tentative agreement on Dec. 16.
As previously reported by the New University, an end to the strike had been looming since Dec. 9, when both parties agreed to enter private mediation in order to “[overcome] recent negotiation gridlock,” according to a press release from the university. The negotiations were mediated by incumbent Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
Many union members expressed mixed feelings toward the tentative agreement.
Rafael Jaime, a graduate student at UCLA and UAW 2865 president, told the LA Times that while the deal was not everything the union had hoped for, it was historic and “sets the bar for public higher education across the country.”
The new contract took place immediately after the ratification and will remain in effect for a three year period until May 31, 2025. Additional highlights of the agreements for each of the graduate student groups can be found on the UC website.
Mohammad “Moh” Samhouri is a 2022-2023 Copy Chief. He can be reached at copy@newuniversity.org.