Grad Workers secure protections against unjust discipline and dismissal

Yesterday, grad workers secured another essential tentative agreement for a strong contract, Discipline and Dismissal. This article secures recourse in cases of unjust discipline through clear notifications and an appeal process. Together with Grievance and Arbitration, these articles lay the foundation for an enforceable contract. 

We would not have reached this agreement without pressure. At the start of yesterday’s session, Penn Admin said they only had a single response, on Job Expectations. Thanks to observer attendance and questions pushing on admin’s slow pace, admin brought us two more counterproposals in the afternoon.

Here’s a summary of yesterday’s bargaining session:

• We reached a tentative agreement on Discipline and Dismissal
• Admin passed counterproposals on Union Security and Job Expectations
• We asked management about their lack of movement on multiple articles and their failure to comply with our request for bargaining-related information

Despite the significant progress we made by tentatively agreeing to a Discipline and Dismissal article, Penn’s negotiators passed two very disappointing counterproposals: Job Expectations and Union Security. Admin’s Job Expectations response rejected protections safeguarding grad workers’ right to not work after business hours. Admin’s Union Security proposal was even worse. Admin’s proposal would force grad workers to individually allocate their dues, rather than have them paid automatically. These “dues check-off” clauses, which are extremely common in union contracts, ensure that members’ dues are paid properly and efficiently. Additionally, admin’s proposal eliminated “agency fees,” a common provision whereby workers who are non-union members but still receive the benefits of the contract pay a fee in lieu of dues. Such a provision is crucial to a strong union contract because it ensures that together as a union, grad workers have the funds and resources to effectively organize and represent ourselves. 

Penn admin’s proposals are, in their current state, unacceptable. But we know that we can get these articles where they need to be through organizing and escalation. Put pressure on Penn by observing the next bargaining session on Tuesday, May 20th from 10:30 – 4:30 PM in the basement of the Sheraton Hotel (3549 Chestnut). At bargaining sessions, observers can directly weigh in on the articles we discuss and meet workers from other parts of the university. Join the over 200 workers who have attended bargaining to date! RSVP Here, and stay for as long or as short as you’d like.