This week, over 30,000 striking University of California and could approve new contracts. If a majority of members vote in favor, the student unions will end their more than month-long strike.
were announced Dec. 16, four days after union and UC bargaining teams brought in Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg .
But the new contracts haven鈥檛 been unanimously celebrated. Both bargaining teams split the vote for the tentative agreements. The Student Researchers United union鈥檚 team voted 13-7 in favor, while the union representing academic student employees, UAW 2865, voted 11-8.
The divide reflects from some union members who are frustrated by the move away from initial demands, such as and . A in favor of a longer strike that could win more.
While Gwen Chodur, a PhD candidate in nutritional biology at the college, acknowledges the contract doesn鈥檛 meet all initial bargaining demands, she鈥檚 still voting yes.
鈥淚 think the contract is just one of the tools we have in the fight we have about how higher ed is, as a system, not really meant to meet the needs of student workers in this day and age,鈥� she said.
UC Davis ecology PhD student Emily Marie Purvis is voting no on the contract. She鈥檚 hoping to get one that addresses equity demands the union originally put forth, like more universal access for disabled workers.
鈥淚 see a lot of evidence that the strike still has power, Purvis said, adding that, at UC Davis, the deadline for turning in final grades
huge exercise in power, in withholding grades, hasn鈥檛 been manifested yet,鈥� they said of a potential bargaining chip.
Workers would see raises, expanded childcare
The union鈥檚 , to a base pay of $54,000, and language tying compensation increases to local costs of living. That language was axed in late November.
The tentative agreements contain gradual, discrete wage increases to begin taking effect 90 days after contract ratification. By fall 2024, the lowest base wage for academic student employees and across UC would be at least $34,000.
Some workers say these wages aren鈥檛 enough. 鈥淭he cost of housing, it鈥檚 really prohibitive, and it鈥檚 becoming more prohibitive,鈥� said Ross Hernandez, a comparative literature PhD student at UC Davis. Having participated in the , for which , Hernandez is also planning to vote against the proposed new contract.
Still, other workers say the wage increase provides relief. One UC Davis PhD candidate, Elias Bunting, who鈥檚 studying plant pathology, said the raises bring 鈥渁 far greater sense of financial security.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge relief and I鈥檓 so proud of what our strike has accomplished,鈥� he wrote in an account .
The new UAW tentative agreement introduces differential pay across campuses. . , would eventually see a $34,000 annual base wage.
At UC Davis, the lowest-paid teaching assistants currently earn $22,500, or $2,582 a month, annually.
If the contract is ratified, they would see an additional $195 per month raise in spring 2023. They鈥檇 earn in the fall of 2023 鈥� still lower than the , $3,303 per month.
By the end of the contract, wages would jump to $4,007 per month in the spring of 2025, a $36,070 annual salary for working the entire academic year.
If approved, the new agreements would the child care stipend it offers workers: academic student employees currently get $1,100 each quarter or $1,650 per semester.
, workers would see the stipend gradually go up to $1,400 per quarter, or $2,100 per semester by Oct. 2024.
The contracts for student researchers and academic student employees would also expand parental leave. Both would increase fully-paid time off for both birthing and non-birthing parents to eight weeks, from six for birthing parents and four for non-birthing.
New anti-bullying protections, heavily revised access needs article
During bargaining, one of the first items agreed to was the . The tentative new agreements would prohibit or participate in related investigations. They also codify definitions of abusive conduct, noting power imbalance as one variable to consider.
Chodur, the nutritional biology student, said she鈥檚 excited by these protections and that they鈥檙e part of why she鈥檚 voting to approve the contract.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e [your advisor] implying that you need to work 80 hours a week in order to produce enough to make them satisfied, if they鈥檙e belittling you because you aren鈥檛 getting the results they want 鈥� all of these things have made higher education a really toxic place,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving these types of protections is really transformative.鈥�
There鈥檚 also modified language for discussions about increasing access at work for disabled student workers.
The in both contracts codify an expanded role for supervisors and department administrators to help with providing a 鈥渢emporary work adjustment鈥� 鈥� which wouldn鈥檛 require medical documentation 鈥� during the process of determining specific, continuous accommodations. They that students can bring a union representative to discussions with university representatives about access.
Continued from the , workers are responsible for acquiring their own medical documentation for disability if the university requests it, though UC will pay the costs if it determines a worker must be examined by a university-appointed health care provider.
This policy is stricter than the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under it, employers for medical documentation in order to provide accommodations.
The unions鈥� eliminated the documentation requirement, in addition to demands for fully accessible workplace materials and buildings. It also used 鈥渁ccess needs鈥� in place of 鈥渞easonable accommodations鈥� to refer to any adjustments disabled workers may need for their jobs.
While Sophie Worthington-Kirsch, who鈥檚 a PhD student in UC Davis鈥檚 chemistry program, the tentative agreement doesn鈥檛 include everything the union asked, she also said it 鈥済ives us something to build on.鈥�
However, for Purvis, who is also disabled, the move away from the original proposal is too stark for her to vote yes on the contract.
鈥淚t gives the university the power to determine what accommodations are and are not 鈥榬easonable鈥�, and it gives the university the power to deny accommodations that people need,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he ADA is not a good goal post 鈥� it鈥檚 really restrictive, and we need to do so much better.鈥�
Worthington-Kirsch also recalled frustrations over the ADA鈥檚 limits: 鈥淚鈥檝e been told that all I can do is file a complaint at the overworked ADA office 鈥� and wait for them to claim it鈥檚 not reasonable.鈥�
A commitment to re-open discussion about international student tuition next contract
颁补濒颈蹿辞谤苍颈补鈥檚 on top of the regular instruction fees, the amount of which is set by educational institutions.
Chodur started her time at UC as an out-of-state student, and was paying the nonresident fee. As a domestic student, she was able to establish residency in California. But international students are not, and so they鈥檙e saddled with additional tuition.
鈥淯nfortunately, in the case of international workers, what happens is their hiring department will pay the base tuition but not the nonresident supplemental tuition,鈥� she said.
Initially, the union demanded UC cover international student worker tuition and fees.
The tentative agreements make formal a practice : When graduate doctoral students pass their qualifying exams, they鈥檒l . After those three years, workers for that tuition.
While some international students say , others, like Irem Aydemir, a PhD student at UC Davis studying anthropology, argue .
鈥淲e can and should strike as long as it takes to win a just contract,鈥� she , noting the 鈥渁nxiety of the NRST [nonresident supplemental tuition] after the third year鈥� as only one of the reasons they鈥檙e not voting in favor of the contract.
If the Student Researchers United contract is ratified this week, it would be their first . If one or both of the contracts is voted down, the respective bargaining team would return to negotiate with UC.
The voting period began this past Monday, December 19, and is scheduled to end on Friday at 5 p.m.
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