Bargaining and COVID-19 Updates from the Table<\/b><\/p>\n
Questions about mitigating the impact of COVID-19 measures on student workers topped the agenda of this week’s bargaining sessions. The responses we heard from Columbia on April 1 and April 3 amounted to directing concerns to the university website or to a vaguely defined “task force” of administrators. The only concrete step so far that we know of has been assistance with permanent move-out costs, <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> late Friday, April 3.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Below is a summary of both bargaining sessions, including Columbia’s responses to the concerns we raised, followed by a rundown of the articles discussed (bargaining is virtual now but still open — email <\/span>columbiagradunion@gmail.com<\/span><\/a> for a Zoom link to the next session).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Columbia’s Answers<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are also no plans to help student workers if their grant-funded research is paused (if, for example, a lab is shut down or an external grant is pulled); or to assist graduating doctoral students entering the job market right now (for example, by extending eligibility and covering premiums for health insurance benefits). We heard about Columbia’s financial hardships and bureaucratic hurdles (and how it is pursuing tax breaks offered in the federal COVID-19 relief package) — none of which in reality prevent the university from taking any of these measures to help manage the uncertainties facing us. <\/span>While recognizing the commitment to stabilizing the situation that Columbia’s administration has expressed, we ask them to work with the university community to address our most pressing needs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the meantime, GWC members <\/span>and our departments have been organizing around many unanswered questions people have for the university, because they’re worried. We are<\/span> finding <\/span>ways<\/span><\/a> to help each other (see the links for resources and contacts) and the bargaining committee will continue in the same spirit at the bargaining table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In solidarity, <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We’ve included contacts for concerns that are not addressed by your school’s deans:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Columbia President <\/span>Lee Bollinger<\/span><\/a>: 212-854-9970<\/span><\/p>\n Provost <\/span>Ira Katznelson<\/span><\/a> 212-854-2403\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Residential Executive Staff Contacts: <\/span>https:\/\/facilities.columbia.edu\/our-staff<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n (the facilities organizational chart: <\/span>https:\/\/bit.ly\/39GMysF<\/span><\/a>)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bargaining Summary (April 1-April 3)<\/b><\/p>\n Columbia submitted articles:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n GWC submitted articles:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Both sides have recently agreed on some articles despite the circumstances, yet as of now, some 20 proposals remain <\/span>stalled<\/span><\/a>. On April 1 and April 3, we again asked Columbia to give us counter proposals on these and brought up the following articles for discussion:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We are moving close on several articles, even the ones where we have some big disagreements to bridge. But those disagreements make it a long and wide bridge that we need to cross. The main sticking point continues to be Columbia’s backdoor attempt to bring all work-related provisions under university control by claiming <\/span>academic purview<\/span><\/a>, an obstacle which played out in materially significant ways. For example, Columbia again rejected our provision to reimburse tests for toxic exposure (like heavy metals, even with advance approval for the testing). Additionally, they rejected the idea that we should have job descriptions. Their proposed grievance and arbitration procedure would make a contract all but impossible to enforce. Their proposals would offer us a contract without substance, one that does nothing to give student workers a say in how we are treated by Columbia, our employer. Columbia didn’t like hearing it from us, but the COVID crisis has crytallized how important the fight is for things like <\/span>meaningful recourse<\/span><\/a> for harassment and discrimination, a say in how excessive workloads are handled, and adequate medical benefits. That is why 96% of us voted in March to authorize a strike!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bargaining and COVID-19 Updates from the Table Questions about mitigating the impact of COVID-19 measures on student workers topped the agenda of this week’s bargaining sessions. The responses we heard from Columbia on April 1 and April 3 amounted to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17,21,5,4],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/LOGO-PNG.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/columbiagradunion.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\n<\/span>GWC-UAW Local 2110 Bargaining Committee<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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