{"id":1951,"date":"2017-02-16T20:22:35","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T20:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/?page_id=1951"},"modified":"2021-06-08T13:27:10","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T13:27:10","slug":"bargainingcommittee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/vote\/bargainingcommittee\/","title":{"rendered":"Bargaining Committee Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTICE OF VACANCY ELECTION – UNION BARGAINING COMMITTEE (ten [10] positions)<\/b>
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\n<\/span>See below for the official notice of the Bargaining Committee Election from June 19th to July 3rd.\u00a0 <\/span>More information, including candidate statements, can be found on the GWC-UAW Local 2110 website<\/span>.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

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An election for the GWC-UAW Bargaining Committee (ten [10] positions) will take place on:<\/b><\/p>\n

Election Dates:<\/b> Elections will start on June 19th (Saturday) at 9:00 AM EDT and end July 3rd (Saturday) at 9:00 PM EDT via electronic voting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instructions to vote:<\/b> Electronic voting will take place on an online platform, more instructions are forthcoming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The following are the candidates, and the respective number of open positions on the bargaining committee:<\/b><\/p>\n

GSAS Humanities\/Social Sciences<\/b>, two [2] positions<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethan Jacobs\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Michelle Jiang<\/span><\/p>\n

Nadeem Mansour<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>GSAS Natural Sciences<\/b>, two [2] positions<\/span><\/p>\n

Colin Adams<\/span><\/p>\n

Ioanna Kourkoulou<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences<\/b>, two [2] positions<\/span><\/p>\n

Jackson Miller<\/span><\/p>\n

Becca Roskill<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Professional\/Other Schools (School of the Arts, Journalism, SIPA, Business, Professional Studies, GSAPP, Social Work, Law, etc.),<\/b> two [2] positions<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Tristan Du Puy<\/span><\/p>\n

Mandi Spishak-Thomas<\/span>
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\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Biomedical Sciences (P&S)\/Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC)\/Public Health departments<\/b>, two [2] positions<\/span><\/p>\n

Laura Benoit<\/span><\/p>\n

Lilian Coie<\/span><\/p>\n

Maya Spaur<\/span><\/p>\n

Lukas Vlahos<\/span><\/p>\n

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Voting in the election shall be at large and shall not be restricted by jurisdiction. <\/b>Voters, regardless of department, shall be entitled to vote for the number of candidates not exceeding the number of vacancies in each jurisdiction, for a total of ten [10] candidates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Voter Eligibility:<\/b> Eligible voters have <\/span>signed a GWC-UAW authorization card<\/span><\/a> who are Columbia graduate and undergraduate students who are currently employed by the university, have been employed by the university in the past, or whose program includes a degree requirement to be employed by the university in one of the categories outlined by the NLRB decision (i.e. graduate and undergraduate Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Preceptors, Course Assistants, Readers, Graders, Graduate Research Assistants [including those on Training Grants], and All Departmental Research Assistants). <\/span>If you meet the above criteria and have not signed up for the Union previously, you may do so here.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Vote Count:<\/b> Ballots will be counted after the polls close.<\/span><\/p>\n

A runoff election, if necessary, will be held on Thursday, July 15, 2021, 9:00AM-9:00PM EST.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GENERAL BODY MEETINGS:<\/b>
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\n<\/span>We will be hosting <\/span>two <\/b>general body meetings, which will function as candidate forums for the prospective members of the Bargaining Committee. These will be held on <\/span>June 17th (Thursday) at 7:00 pm EDT (<\/b>click here to register<\/b><\/a>)<\/b>and <\/span>June 18th (Friday) at 9:30 am EDT (<\/b>click here to register<\/b><\/a>)<\/b>. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>These meetings are opportunities for the BC candidates to introduce themselves, and to answer questions from unit members. To this end, we will actively solicit questions for the candidates via this google form.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
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\u2630 Election Information<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2630 Candidate Statements<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2630 Electioneering\u00a0rules<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2630 Bargaining committee responsibilities<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>

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<\/a>The following are candidates and the respective number of open positions on the bargaining committee.<\/p>\n

GSAS Humanities\/Social Sciences, two (2) positions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ethan Jacobs (he\/him)<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a fourth-year Philosophy PhD running for the Bargaining Committee alongside experienced organizer Nadeem Mansour, as part of the Worker Empowerment (WE) slate. I bring to the bargaining team a careful eye for contract language, a track record of fostering democracy and community in GWC, and experience with grassroots organizing in NYC.<\/span><\/p>\n

With GWC, I\u2019ve used my background in close-reading philosophical and legal texts to analyze Columbia\u2019s bargaining position, and to help draft bylaws for our union that enshrine a culture of transparency and accountable leadership. Recognizing that rejecting the Tentative Agreement requires us to mobilize for more, I helped build our nearly 600 member strong <\/span>rank-and-file Discord server<\/span><\/a>, a space for us to share workplace concerns, organize together, and mobilize \u2014 much needed given limitations on in-person interaction. I also bring knowledge of how larger NYC labor dynamics inform our struggle at Columbia gained through organizing with <\/span>Workers\u2019 Assembly Against Racism<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the months surrounding our strike, I pored over comparable labor agreements and labor law to familiarize myself with how our tentative agreement\u2019s language addressed our demands. The changes to EOAA did nothing to address power-based harassment and failed to give GWC a meaningful say in the choice of appeals officers. Additionally, the contract excluded hundreds of legally recognized unit members. I voted No on the tentative agreement because I <\/span>know <\/span><\/i>our unit can achieve more.<\/span><\/p>\n

I commit to proactively collaborating with student workers throughout negotiations. Any agreement reached by the BC must have the overwhelming support of the unit \u2014 especially those directly affected by the agreement\u2019s provisions. A return to in-person instruction presents an ideal opportunity for us to demonstrate the value of our labor to University operations. By leveraging our collective power in the classroom, laboratory, picket line, bargaining table, and vast support networks we\u2019ve built together, I am confident that we can quickly reach a strong contract.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to win these basic needs, it is essential that you support my fellow Worker Empowerment (WE) slate members. We believe in a BC that follows the lead of the rank-and-file. Our slate has been endorsed by a number of allies. For more information and a list of endorsements, please go to <\/span>workerempowerment.com<\/span><\/a>. Together, WE will get the working conditions we deserve!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Michelle Jiang (she\/her)<\/strong><\/p>\n

My name is Michelle Jiang, and I\u2019m a 4th year Ph.D. student in economics in humanities\/social sciences. Beyond organizing in my department, I\u2019ve also previously served as co-president of the economics association of graduate economics students, and organized to expand our department\u2019s diversity committee and initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My priorities if I am elected to serve on the bargaining committee are twofold: (a) a strong contract, and (b) getting to it in as fast a manner as possible. For those of us in stressed financial and healthcare situations, the importance of getting a contract \u2013 which comes with immediate pay increases, better healthcare, and better protections \u2013 is key. I will fight for not just a good contract, but a timely one. We began bargaining in early 2019. It is far beyond time for a contract.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a contract, I will focus on pushing up higher salaries in all groups, keeping our gains from the last tentative agreement\u2013 especially for groups that would have been brought to pay parity, pushing for dental or a higher healthcare coverage fund, pushing for neutral arbitration, and pushing for recognition of all workers. It is important for me to lock in and improve upon what we won in the last agreement. While doing so, I will recognize that your strike power is valuable and should not be taken for granted. Strikes are powerful, but often difficult for individual members. For that reason, we should never squander one \u2013 and we should be cognizant that \u201cstrike forever\u201d is not a coherent strategy. Strategy instead should always be informed by organizing.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a Bargaining Committee member, I would commit to regular updates to the unit about bargaining, topics covered, and bargaining priorities. I think it\u2019s important that the unit hears regularly from the bargaining committee, not just during strike. I also want to stress the importance of 1-on-1 organizing and 1-on-1 conversations, i.e. grassroots organizing. In addition to surveys, the most important thing we can do is talk to our union members regularly to get a sense of how people are feeling and what decisions they think the bargaining committee should take.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally – I am also running as a counterpoint to a disturbing trend of bullying, toxicity, and harassment by the people who purport to care about non-harassment and discrimination, and yet sanction the same behavior in their fellow rank-and-file members, even within the \u201crank-and-file Discord.\u201d My commitment is that we ensure the union is not only a safe space, but also a welcoming space, for everyone. That is the only way to ensure the largest and most democratic participation: that your voice is welcome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nadeem Mansour (He\/Him)<\/b><\/p>\n

I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies\u00a0 department running for the Bargaining Committee alongside legal whiz Ethan Jacobs and the rest\u00a0 of the Worker Empowerment slate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am no stranger to union organizing. For years I worked as a union organizer and social justice\u00a0 campaigner in Egypt, working to raise the national minimum wage and pass more robust trade\u00a0 union laws. In 2017 I served as a steward and unit representative at our sister union NYU-GSOC,\u00a0 where I helped enforce wins from our 2015 contract as part of a democratic, worker-led union.\u00a0 GSOC\u2019s recent contract wins \u2013 vastly improved hourly wages, protections from ICE and the\u00a0 NYPD, and a legal fund for international and immigrant student workers \u2013 can be ours too. I have been organizing with GWC-UAW since 2019, keeping the membership engaged in and\u00a0 informed of contract negotiations since bargaining began and helping mobilize for the recent\u00a0 strike. Over the last year, I\u2019ve worked in our union\u2019s Organizing Committee, Communications\u00a0 Committee, Hardship Fund Committee, International Students Working group, Process Working\u00a0 Group, amongst others. I want to use my extensive labor organizing experience to strengthen our\u00a0 union.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In all the unions I have organized with, from factory workers in Egypt to teachers and\u00a0 researchers at an Ivy League university, I have seen first-hand that unions are only strong when\u00a0 their members actively participate in strategy development. In our case, this means we need a BC\u00a0 that listens, welcomes critiques, and includes membership in all bargaining decision-making. The\u00a0 Worker Empowerment slate is our chance for a member-led union.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our demands are reasonable and winnable. It is simply unacceptable that student workers\u00a0 struggle to pay rent during summer, teach in pain because they cannot afford dental procedures,\u00a0 and experience assault and harassment without proper recourse when only 5% of EOAA cases\u00a0 find perpetrators responsible. An injury to a single worker is an injury to all, and we must ensure\u00a0 all workers\u2019 needs are met in our contract.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We know Columbia University and its <\/span>5 billion annual budget <\/span>can easily afford all our demands\u00a0 and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To win these demands, we must organize a strong campaign that puts public pressure on\u00a0 Columbia and prepare for a majority strike in the fall. Our strength depends on the full\u00a0 engagement of our resourceful body of student workers. As a BC member, I commit to\u00a0 organizing with my fellow student workers in a member-led campaign that will get us a living\u00a0 wage, real recourse for discrimination and harassment, adequate healthcare, including dental\u00a0 care, and recognition of our full unit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our slate has been endorsed by a number of allies. For more information and a list of\u00a0 endorsements, please go to workerempowerment.com<\/span><\/p>\n

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GSAS Natural Sciences, two [2] positions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colin Adams (he\/him)<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI love unions and am growing to love onions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a fourth year Physics PhD student running for the Bargaining Committee (BC) alongside the inimitable Ioanna Kourkoulou, as a part of the Worker Empowerment (WE) slate. I first became engaged with the union after hearing from person after person in the Natural Sciences how they were being overworked, mistreated, and bullied in their workspaces. I learned that the university has <\/span>zero<\/span><\/i> protections or forms of recourse for individuals in those positions, and saw the union as the only group fighting to change that. I see that as the primary responsibility of a union: to protect its workers. In order to fulfill that duty, representatives of the union should operate transparently and democratically. That\u2019s why I\u2019m running for BC: to listen to, to value, and to protect <\/span>you<\/span><\/i>, the workers. You deserve all the protections our previous tentative agreement failed to offer:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grievance and neutral arbitration<\/b> for cases of discrimination and harassment as well as protections and transitional funding for those experiencing power-based<\/span><\/p>\n