This Thursday, from 11-1PM, we’ll be holding our 14th bargaining session with the University. Will we get raises, fee relief, and health insurance coverage? That comes down to YOU. If YOU care, the University will care. If YOU don’t show up, the University is free to screw you over while you’re not looking. The choice is in YOUR hands.
Bargaining #13 Update
This is what you’re here for, right? Well, we’ve got 1 and 1/2 pieces of good news, and about 8 pieces of bad news.
The One Bit of Good News
FSU added 3 paid days BEFORE the beginning of classes to EACH semester for prep time for EVERY GA. That’s 6 extra days a year, which is $480 extra dollars a year at the minimum stipend (if you’re not already getting paid for prep-time before classes begin)
FSU is willing to ACCEPT our language of NO LIMITATIONS FOR OUTSIDE WORK (as long as it doesn’t conflict with your GA work). But, there’s a catch for this one. We have to accept…
The BAD
… status-quo language on Grievances (which is fine), Consultations (which is fine), and… Fees and International Student Tuition Waivers (which is NOT FINE). In addition…
FSU is offering NO FEE RELIEF FOR ANYONE and NO additional tuition waiver relief for international students
FSU is offering NO PERMANENT RAISES, and NO INCREASE TO THE MINIMUM STIPEND
FSU is offering to cover the $166 increase to health insurance premiums (keeping our rates the same as last year), but ONLY IF we accept NO PAID TIME OFF for new parents and NO WFH/Flex accommodations for caregivers
In exchange, FSU offered a $500 bonus (which is $250 LESS THAN LAST YEAR)
FSU offered this as a “package deal.” Meaning they want us to accept all of it, or none of it. That’s an absurd position, quite frankly: to throw 10 articles at us at once because they’re tired of bargaining and just expect us to be too tired to keep this process going.
But here’s the thing: if members DON’T CARE, we can’t PUSH FOR BETTER. You all need to SHOW UP and SHOW that you care about this, otherwise we’re going to have to accept this INSULTING offer.
Impact Statements
With that in mind, NOW is the time to SHARE YOUR STORY with the University. We are specifically looking for impact statements on:
Health Insurance: Is health insurance too expensive? Don’t appreciate the University holding $166 over your head as a bargaining chip? Does your medicine cost too much money on too small a salary? Have you had medical expenses that far outstrip your ability to pay? Talk to us!
Paid Leave: Are you a caregiver, expectant parent, or need continued work from home or flex accommodations to be able to do your job? What would short-term paid time off—for immigration proceedings, for voting, for caregiving—mean for YOU? What would longer-term paid leave—for caregiving, for giving birth or adopting, for long-term illness or disability—mean for YOU?
Raises: Have you been struggling financially? Have you worked harder in the last year, through a global pandemic, than ever before and STILL have no more money to show for it? Do you struggle to feed or care for yourself or your loved ones who depend on you?
Impact statements can be anonymous, and we can read them for you.
And if you want to do more, you can show up to bargaining committee TOMORROW, Sunday, 10/10, from 5-7PM, just by clicking the button below:
We’ll be available in our “caucus room” for 30 minutes before bargaining. There, we will go over exactly what we’re presenting in more detail with you, so we can receive feedback from YOU, the members. We want to make sure we are representing YOUR concerns, priorities, and demands. So come to caucus at 10:30AM to make your voice heard, and then we will head over to the “main” bargaining room at 11:00AM to present those demands to the FSU administration! They’re betting on you being tired.
They’re betting on you having too much else to do.
They’re betting that you’re not paying attention.
Prove them wrong. Show up. Fight. Because remember:
United we bargain, divided we beg!
In Solidarity, Vincenza Antonetta Berardo Chief Negotiator & Bargaining Chair
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