September 30, 2011
by kabrownfield
Strike Warning #4
September 30, 2011
Number of days without a contract: 457
Last bargaining session with the SIUC administration: September 23, 2011
Next bargaining session with the SIUC administration: September 30, 2011
Fellow graduate assistants,
Unless you’ve been completely lost in your work, you know that today dues-paying members of Graduate Assistants United will vote whether or not to authorize the bargaining team to call for a strike on or after October 6 if no significant progress has been made in bargaining.
I want to reiterate to you two important points: first, a vote to authorize a strike does not mean there necessarily will be a strike, just that the union’s members reserve the right to strike as a last resort; second, we do not want to strike. Indeed, we want to avoid a strike, and that is why we have been negotiating with the Administration since April 2010. However, we must prepare for the worst.
After spending more than a year of my life negotiating with the Administration, I have doubts whether it was ever really committed to meaningful negotiations. The areas that we have reached tentative agreements on did not take 18 months to reach. At this point, I have to wonder if this whole process was designed to string GAU along until we just abandoned our positions out of a sense of sheer futility. If that is indeed the case, the Administration has made a serious mistake. If anything, the Administration’s delaying tactics have stiffened our resolve to achieve a fair and equitable contract for all Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants here at SIUC. I can speak for all the members of the Bargaining Team when I tell you that we will not come out of these negotiations without something to show for our time and effort. The exact nature of our what we bring back to our membership for approval is, in large part, up to the Administration.
They know we are fed up with a “health care plan” that they would not subscribe their own families to, but is somehow good enough for us. We are tired of having our fees rise 200 percent in the last few years. Furthermore, we are tired of an atmosphere where, according to the recent letter from Chancellor Cheng, we can be replaced by retired faculty and people off the street. If it was not happening at SIUC, I would love to see one of these people the Chancellor handily has in reserve attempt to lead the discussions in my three sections of History 101A. Apparently, all one needs is a textbook. If the Administration does not respect us now, perhaps they will find some when they face the possibility of not just GAU, but the Faculty Association, the Non Tenure-Track Faculty, and the Association of Civil Service Employees withholding their labor until a settlement that is fair to both sides in these negotiations.
Despite our legitimate frustration with the Administration, GAU remains committed to finding a fair agreement. We hope the Administration truly feels that way too, as opposed to paying lip-service to the idea. If it is at all possible, come to an open meeting Friday at 3:00 in Lawson 141. We will try to answer questions and tell you where we stand in negotiations, since they will have taken place earlier that day. From 4:00 until 7:00, dues-paying members only will cast their votes on the strike authorization. If you are not a member, you can join before you vote, we will have membership forms available. Our organization is democratic; our members tell us what to do. Join us, and make your voice heard. SIUC will be a better place because of your help.
You can stay informed by reading our webpage (http://gaunited.org), joining our Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6789631853&ref=ts), following our brand new Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/#!/SIUCGAUnited), or subscribing to the blog for all four IEA-NEA unions on campus (http://siucunions.wordpress.com).
In solidarity,
Jim Podesva
President
