{"id":3437,"date":"2020-01-27T18:36:22","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T18:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/?p=3437"},"modified":"2020-02-04T18:36:48","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T18:36:48","slug":"bargaining-session-22-continuing-bargaining-in-the-new-semester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/2020\/01\/27\/bargaining-session-22-continuing-bargaining-in-the-new-semester\/","title":{"rendered":"Bargaining Session #22: Continuing Bargaining in the New Semester"},"content":{"rendered":"
On Friday, we met with the CU bargaining team for our first bargaining session of the semester. It\u2019s been almost a year since we began the process\u2014you can check out the current status of all the articles, as well as the full proposals, on our website here: https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/bargaining\/<\/a><\/p>\n In Friday\u2019s session, our bargaining team presented three counterproposals: Workspace and Materials; Training; and Intellectual Property, Scholarly and Research Misconduct. Columbia\u2019s bargaining team presented four counterproposals on Workspace and Materials; Training; Appointments; and Leaves.<\/p>\n We reached a tentative agreement with the University on Workspace and Materials, an article which will ensure access to workspace, deskspace, facilities, equipment and other services required for unit members to perform their assigned duties. It also guarantees reimbursement for required materials, equipment, or services and commits the University to providing advance notice if workspaces are changed.<\/p>\n Columbia\u2019s latest counterproposal on Leaves still does not acknowledge an immigration leave for student workers and does not provide paid medical or disability leaves. We engaged in a longer discussion about international workers and leave policies and reiterated the additional challenges international workers face, especially when ISSO\u2019s services fall short.<\/p>\n Once again, we raised our demand for the University to establish a medical fund for those of us who were impacted after the elimination of the 100 Plan. The University\u2019s response? \u201cThat would defeat the purpose of the change.\u201d Clearly, Columbia administration values its bottom line more than the health and wellness of individual workers who make it the world-renowned institution. As your Bargaining Committee, we continue to fight for more inclusive, accessible, and affordable healthcare.<\/p>\n We are still waiting for the University\u2019s response to the economic proposals we presented last year, including compensation and family friendly benefits.<\/p>\n