We hope you’re having a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We, your Bargaining Committee, are writing to give you an update after our bargaining session this past Friday, August 30th.
At this point in the bargaining process, we are beginning to get responses from the University to our proposals. This last session focused on their response to our proposals for anti-discrimination protections and the grievance procedure. We know grads need a grievance procedure to address unfair work practices, sexual harassment, and racial discrimination. The goal of our proposal was to have a process that worked side-by-side with University Title IX and Title VI procedures in order to quickly address workplace issues with a minimum of disruption to grads’ research and work. In this most recent bargaining session, the University gutted our proposal: they want grads to exclusively use existing Title IX and Title VI procedures to address issues of workplace harassment, cutting out our union in the process.
We know these current processes are insufficient. In our survey, among grads who experienced harassment, discrimination, bullying, or disparagement in the workplace, only 23 percent agree that the existing University process sufficiently met their needs. While Title IX and VI protections are important, they are vulnerable to sabotage by a Trump administration. Subjecting cases of discrimination and harassment to a union grievance procedure ensures that Brown is held to the highest standard.
In order to win a contract that offers protection from workplace harassment and discrimination, we need your help. Join us at September’s General Members Meeting on September 9th, 6:00–7:15 PM, at Kassar Foxboro Auditorium, 151 Thayer Street. There we will plan a day of action to show the University that we will stand together to demand a fair contract. It will help us plan if you RSVP online here.
There are many ways to get involved and help us win our collective bargaining agreement. Get in touch by writing to standupforgrads@gmail.com or by contacting an organizer you know for more information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates as we head into the fall.
Thank you for being a part of the movement!
In solidarity,
Kaity Hajdarovic
Bargaining Committee Co-Chair
Graduate Labor Organization 