What is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining is a process that equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer. Under collective bargaining, we will elect representatives to negotiate a binding contract with Columbia that sets out the terms of our employment. With collective bargaining, graduate employee unions can negotiate for improvements in wages, hours, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment. There are recognized graduate employee unions at 29 campuses nationwide, including all eight campuses of the University of California, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, three campuses of the University of Massachusetts, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Michigan. In January 2002, the graduate employees union at New York University, GSOC/UAW, successfully completed negotiations for their first contract. Without collective bargaining, Columbia has unilateral power to change the terms of our employment. With a collective bargaining agreement, the Univer
Collective bargaining allows graduate employees and the university administration to interact as equals and negotiate wages, terms, and conditions of employment. With collective bargaining, representatives we choose (fellow NYU graduate employees) will survey us to determine our priorities and then negotiate a contract with the NYU administration. We can negotiate for improvements in wages, hours, benefits, as well as the terms and conditions of our employment. We, as members of GSOC/UAW Local 2110, must democratically approve the agreement that NYU and our bargaining team reach before it becomes a legally binding contract that cannot be unilaterally changed. A contract is generally enforced by a grievance procedure, ending with binding arbitration before a neutral third party, rather than the NYU administration. Without a contract, NYU has the unilateral ability to decide and change our wages, benefits and working conditions. Since our contract expired, NYU has done just that. For a c
