My name is Anna, and I’m a 4th year PhD candidate in the Marine and Environmental Biology department. I’m also a member of the GSWOC-UAW bargaining team, and I’m writing to give you an update after Monday’s bargaining session. Check out the bargaining portal and tracker for the latest movement at the table, and read on for a full update.
TL;DR:
- USC administration continued to delay their response on wages and benefits. Despite bargaining with them for over five months, we have yet to see a single proposal from them on wages.
- In the first session after the United for Workplace Justice Rally, USC administration passed an improved proposal on Immigration, agreeing for the first time to a legal fund to help international GSWs facing immigration issues. This is a major concession we’ve won at the bargaining table, but we still need to see more support and protection for international GSWs before reaching a Tentative Agreement (TA) on this article.
- Mass Membership Meeting happening next Thursday, September 28th, at 5pm. RSVP here to attend this crucial, campuswide action, where GSWs will meet to escalate our campaign and decide on next steps.
- Next bargaining session taking place Tuesday, September 26th. RSVP here if you’d like to attend.
Despite having a full day of bargaining scheduled, USC admin decided to end Monday’s bargaining session early and continued to delay their response to GSWs’ economic proposals. Five months of bargaining, zero proposals from admin on wages. Combined with their delays in responding to the bargaining team’s Requests for Information, USC admin’s hesitation to make a single proposal on wages is clear evidence that more action this fall will be necessary to force them to bargain in good faith. Graduate Student Workers demand a living wage, and we’re ready to fight to win it.
There was some notable progress on immigration that I’m excited to share with you. In the first session after the United for Workplace Justice Rally, which called for greater support for international GSWs, USC administration conceded to one of our core demands: the establishment of a legal fund for GSWs facing immigration issues, the first of its kind at USC. Although the dollar amount of this fund and the details of other support systems and protections are still being ironed out at the bargaining table, Monday was a highly encouraging sign that our pressure on these issues is making a difference.
Finally, it’s critical that GSWs show up in large numbers to the Mass Membership Meeting next Thursday at 5pm, taking place at the amphitheater connected to the Annenberg Building in EF Hutton Park. Come represent your department at this major action, where hundreds of GSWs will meet to escalate our campaign and decide on next steps. You won’t want to miss it!
RSVP to the Mass Membership Meeting here!
In solidarity,
Anna