Graduate Student Union Negotiations

Background Information

On July 14, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board ordered that an election take place among graduate students performing instructional and research services to determine if the United Autoworkers Union should represent them in negotiations for a union contract with Northeastern.  A request for review of that determination remains pending with the NLRB.  In late September, the election resulted in the United Autoworkers Union receiving a majority of votes cast and negotiations over the terms of a graduate union contract have now commenced between the University and the Union.

This webpage will provide periodic updates concerning bargaining, with individual bargaining sessions identified below.

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Bargaining History

September 21, 2023

Union election results announced that the United Autoworkers had been elected to represent a bargaining unit of graduate students.

October 23, 2023

Union requested to meet to begin the contract negotiation process. The University offered to meet on November 8, 2023 to begin negotiations.

November 8, 2023

The University arrived with its bargaining team for negotiations. The Union was present with 8 representatives. The University asked if the Union wanted to begin contract negotiations and the Union replied that it did not come to the meeting ready to bargain because it had no bargaining team assembled. It was agreed that the parties would meet again on December 13th for bargaining.

December 13, 2023

The University arrived with its bargaining team for negotiations. The Union was present with its bargaining committee, but offered no proposals for a contract. The Union used the majority of the meeting time discussing PhD desk space in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences. The University asked if the Union had a contract proposal about desk space or any other matter that it wanted to discuss. The Union responded that it had no contract proposals, and requested information about desk space in other colleges. The Union proposed that the parties next meet for bargaining on January 25, 2024.

January 25, 2024

The parties met for what was the second official negotiation session.  The Union brought counterproposals on ground rules that had been proposed by the University in December, and after brief discussion with no agreement, the Union presented its first proposals concerning employment records and severability.  Following discussion of the Union’s proposals, the University put forward a comprehensive package proposal, representing a complete contract that the University said it was willing to sign immediately, or when the Union was ready.

The University explained that this proposed contract had many of the provisions that are found in other graduate union contracts, including economic increases, time off, holidays and parental leave, as well as funds for medical and dental assistance for stipended PhDs, workplace safety, non-discrimination and anti-retaliation provisions, along with a comprehensive grievance process.  The parties then adjourned for the day.

A copy of the University’s proposed union contract can be viewed here.

February 16, 2024

The parties met for their third negotiation session. The University brought counterproposals to changes the Union proposed on ground rules, with no response from the Union. The Union then rejected the University’s proposed union contract and announced its intention to negotiate one provision at a time. The Union then presented three new proposals concerning job postings, successorship and labor/management committee. After some questions from the University about the rationale for the Union proposals, the Union asked that the University respond to the proposals from January 25th. The University said it would respond soon, but if the Union wanted to make progress in bargaining it should focus on the more difficult issues in negotiation that take longer to address than smaller topics such as labor/management committee, severability and job postings.

March 15, 2024

The parties met for their fourth negotiation session and the University offered an updated comprehensive package proposal for a complete contract to the Union’s bargaining team. The updated contract proposal included counterproposals to the Union on the subjects of Employment Records, Job Postings, Labor/Management Committee and Severability. The Union then offered proposals on subcontracting and holidays. The Union asked for an update to information responses on several items, and declared that it was unable to advance substantive proposals without a complete information response. The University pointed out that it had responded to a significant number of requests already, including pay rates and health insurance, and asked the Union why it felt unable to make proposals on substantive issues such as PhD stipends, health insurance, co-pay assistance and many other issues the Union had emphasized as important to graduate students during the Union’s organizing campaign. The Union reiterated that it felt unable to do so at this time.

A copy of the University’s updated proposed union contract can be viewed here.

April 3, 2024

The parties met for their fifth negotiation session and the University asked if the Union had any response to the contract proposal offered on March 15th. The Union responded that it would not respond to the contract offer, and said that it would raise issues in a piecemeal fashion in the order that it wanted. The Union then asked that the University review the Union’s prior proposals line-by-line during negotiations and review any disagreement. The University explained that the concepts in Union proposals were already reflected in University counter-proposals, and that going through Union proposals line-by-line would slow the negotiation process significantly. The Union responded that it did not care if negotiations took more time, and asked the University to come to the next bargaining session ready to review prior Union proposals one line at a time. The Union also reviewed the status of certain information request responses and the University explained that information had already been provided on several of the responses in the group of requests, and that it had asked the Union for clarification on other requests, and the Union had never replied. The Union said it would go back and again review the University responses to see if it missed information or clarification requests from the University. The Union then advanced proposals on appointments and appointment security toward the end of the negotiation session.