The Union Difference

If we organize to win our union election and a strong contract, how could our mission statement translate into concrete wins?

 

Examples are from these student worker contracts:

  • Brown University Teaching Assistant Labor Organization (computer science department workers)
  • Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth (dining workers)
  • Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (current wall-to-wall contract and previous dining workers contract)
  • University of Chicago - Student Library Employee Union
  • Wesleyan Union of Student Employees (residence life workers)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst - Resident Assistant & Peer Mentor Union
  • Fordham Graduate Student Workers - CWA 1104 GSEU

These examples aren’t guarantees of what every contract will look like, but workers get a shot at winning significant improvements when they organize!

 

A formal grievance system to resolve workplace issues in a timely manner with union representation
  • Union contracts include a grievance process for workers to address management’s violations of their contract, with specific steps–and with deadlines for management to respond. Management can’t just let issues fall through the cracks anymore. Workers and management negotiate and agree to the grievance process as part of contract bargaining.
  • All unionized workers have a legal right to representation in any meetings with management that could lead to discipline or firing, as well as the right to remain silent until their union representative is present. These rights are called Weingarten rights (named after a Supreme Court decision). They are often included in contract language as well.

 

Wages that enable all students to afford basic necessities and have financial security post-graduation
  • Undergrad workers at Brown, Dartmouth, Grinnell, UChicago, UMass Amherst, and Wesleyan won guaranteed raises. Sometimes these raises were dollar amounts or percentages; sometimes they were tied to any increases in tuition or housing costs.
  • Undergrad library workers at UChicago have won “solo pay” (they get paid extra if they’re the only worker on duty in a facility) and holiday pay (they get paid time-and-a-half if they’re scheduled to work on a holiday).
  • Res life workers at Wesleyan, undergrad library workers at UChicago, and dining workers at Grinnell won bonuses or pay raises based on experience and seniority.
  • Outside of wages, grad workers at Fordham won a $5k emergency relief fund for workers, plus a $15k relief fund specifically for international student workers.

 

Negotiable job contracts with clear guidelines and expectations
  • Brown: Workloads “will be regularly audited” in order to “prevent overwork and address other situations of concern.” “Instructors will be notified of situations of concern and are expected to address these concerns in a timely manner.”
  • Brown: “The Computer Science Department will publish, for each course, a clear description of the specific duties of each SE position for the course and a maximum number of hours per week for each position during the semester. [...] Student Employees who are asked to perform work that does not align with their job description [...] may file a grievance following the procedures in this document.”
  • UMass Amherst: Workers get input on proposed changes to job descriptions and expectations. Major changes have to be bargained: “Any changes to job descriptions that materially affect the wages, hours and working conditions of members of the bargaining unit shall be addressed through impact bargaining.”
  • UMass Amherst: The hours workers can work per day and per week are capped to prevent shifts that are too long. And workers are protected against excessive workloads: “Assignments to [Resident Assistants and Peer Mentors] will be such that they can be reasonably expected to discharge them within the number of hours specified in the individual's contract. [...] In the event an RA or PM cannot reasonably discharge their duties within the number of hours specified in their individual contract due to factors outside of their control (i.e., staffing shortages), the employer will provide additional resources or reduce the duties to bring the workload to a manageable level [...].”

 

Agreed-upon hours and scheduling
  • Brown: Workers can’t be forced or asked to work between midnight and 6am.
  • Brown: Workers can request schedule adjustments: “Instructors are expected to accommodate reasonable requests from [a Student Employee] to reduce the work hours assigned to the SE when it would interfere with the SE’s health or academic progress. In particular, a reduction of assigned work hours should be granted during the final exams period upon request from the SE.”
  • Dartmouth: Dining workers select their shifts at the beginning of each term using a defined process. If management wants to change the timing of a worker’s shift, management has to give at least one week’s notice.

 

Training programs, specific to each labor position, that cover all information necessary to perform our jobs
  • Grinnell (wall-to-wall): The college is required to train workers annually: at least one hour of paid general training (orientation on how to clock in, etc.) and at least one hour of paid workplace-specific training.
  • Grinnell (wall-to-wall): Workers get input on training: “In addition to convening on an as-needed basis, the [Union-Management Committee] shall meet annually during the spring semester to review, and if appropriate revise, the content of the workplace-specific training...”
  • UChicago: Workers assigned new duties or assigned to operate new equipment or software “will be given a reasonable opportunity to be trained in the performance of these new or revised duties.”
  • UMass Amherst: “The Union shall designate up to four (4) bargaining unit members to participate on the University’s RA/PM Training Planning Committee. [...] The Union and The University will collaboratively build anti-racist, bias and hatred response training and protocol to improve RAs and PMs’ skills and competency in recognizing and addressing racist incidents in the residence halls.”
  • Brown: The contract lists the specific areas that training is required to cover. The contract states that workers with prior experience will “help plan and update training,” and that workers will be paid to evaluate training at the end of each semester. 

 

Adequate resources to ensure safe working conditions in every workplace
  • UChicago: Management is contractually obligated to “make reasonable provisions for the safety and health of its employees during their hours of employment,” “maintain safety and sanitary methods as are necessary to protect and preserve the health and welfare of its employees,” and provide “adequate first aid protection” during working hours. 
  • Wesleyan: Right to refuse unsafe work: “No [resident advisor, house manager, or community advisor] shall be forced to work in a situation which presents a serious threat to their health or safety.” (Almost-identical language is in UMass Amherst’s res life contract.)
  • Wesleyan: Article XX details how management will respond to emergencies and protects workers from having to take on managerial responsibilities or work excessively long shifts during an emergency or natural disaster. Management is required to debrief emergency responses with workers and create emergency protocols.
  • Fordham: “No [graduate student worker] shall be subjected to retaliation for making a good faith report or inquiry about a health and safety concern. … A GSW will not be required to work in conditions which pose a clear and imminent danger to their health and safety. … The University will provide first aid kits in the Public Safety Office on each campus and in other locations as deemed appropriate.”
  • Health and Safety Committees: Contracts at Dartmouth and UMass Amherst create Health and Safety Committees, composed of management and workers who meet regularly. Workers are paid to attend these meetings.

 

Accommodations for students with differences in ability that support their growth and success in the workplace
  • Grinnell: Management is contractually obligated to provide reasonable accommodations: “The College will provide reasonable accommodations, as determined by the College’s Office of Accessibility and Disability Resources, to any Student Worker with a temporary or long-term disability which prevents them from performing the essential functions of their normal assigned duties.”
  • Wesleyan: Article VIII covers management’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Violations are subject to the grievance procedure.
  • UMass Amherst: Res life workers with assignments that are not accessible for them under the ADA will get new assignments within 48 hours. 
  • Fordham: “Upon request from a [graduate student worker] with a disability, the University shall engage in an interactive process and will provide reasonable accommodation, absent undue hardship, to enable the graduate worker to perform the essential functions of their job, consistent with state, federal and local law.”

 

Enforcement of the College’s policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination in the workplace
  • Brown: 
    • Policies to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace are no longer just policies that only the administration can enforce at their discretion. They are part of the union contract. Violations are subject to a grievance procedure in which workers have union representation.
    • The contract requires management to have a staff member dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
    • Management will collect and publish data related to the demographics of who applies for jobs, who is hired, and who quits their job, in order to analyze and correct any patterns of discrimination in recruitment, hiring, and retention.
    • The contract includes provisions related to making hiring processes more transparent, inclusive and accessible.
  • Dartmouth: Workers can take an issue to arbitration if they aren’t satisfied with the admin’s response to instances of harassment or discrimination.
  • UChicago: Workers can pursue a grievance if management fails to maintain a workplace free from discrimination and harassment (except for Title IX complaints, which go through another University process).
  • Wesleyan: Articles VII and VIII cover management’s compliance with anti-discrimination law and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Because this is covered in the union contract, violations are subject to a grievance procedure in which workers have union representation.
  • Mutual respect clauses: 
    • UMass Amherst: “All bargaining unit employees are to be treated with dignity and respect at all times.”
    • Grinnell: “The College and Union agree that they will treat each other with mutual respect and dignity. … The College and Union agree to cooperate to ensure that this Agreement is administered in such a manner as to ensure and safeguard the dignity and safety of the entire Grinnell College community.”
    • Having these pieces in a contract means that violations are subject to the grievance process–because union members are the ones who enforce their contracts.