With a May 15 contract expiration date looming, the Graduate Employees Union and MSU began the bargaining process last week for their next three-year contract.
Having started negotiations last week and entering another round Monday, the union has presented the university with a list of items they would like to see addressed or added to the contract.
Sticking points for the union have included economic issues, such as wages, and noneconomic issues, such as parking rights. Sandra Schmidt, president of the union, said the two sides have only begun talks on noneconomic issues.
Karen Klomparens, dean of the Graduate School, said due to a bargaining agreement between the two sides, the university has declined to comment specifically about issues being negotiated.
Wage Increase
Union members said the most pressing issue they are eager to discuss is a 5 percent annual increase in wages.
Graduate teaching assistants working within a half-time pay scale earn between $11,322 to $13,041 per year, Schmidt said.
Schmidt said the union is asking for the annual wage increase in order to reflect cost of living increases and inflation.
At this point in the negotiations, MSU has not presented the union with any formal offers of a wage increase, though they did indicate they wished for further discussion on the issue.
“If we go another full (contract) cycle with no wage increase, we’re going to be making less than the people who did the first contact we’re under now (because of inflation),” said Nathan Zukas, a union steward. “That’s barely enough for rent, let alone tuition. And that means more loans and more financial burden.”
Unit-specific training
Another issue the union is looking to address is the matter of TA training specific to the unit graduate students will teach, such as history or math.
MSU currently offers TAs more input on MSU’s Teaching Assistant Program that union members can take prior to teaching, Schmidt said. These offers are in the form of letters of agreement, which are nullified once the current contract expires.
“(Training) is important for TAs for their own professional development, and important for the quality of undergraduate education that they receive from teaching assistants,” Klomparens said.
Health care
The union is asking for health coverage that includes vaccinations, affordable birth control, cheaper prescription co-pays and greater mental health coverage.
Because it is an economic issue of concern, health care has not been discussed yet in negotiations, Klomparens said.
While they have not addressed it, the university has wished to discuss these matters further, according to the union.
“If you’re sick and you have to spend God knows how much just to maintain a level of health, you’re not going to be able to do your job,” Zukas said. “We can’t afford quality health care on our own.”
Tuition waivers
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For their work, TAs are granted tuition waivers to the equivalent of nine credits per semester.
Under the union’s current contract, those credits are earned for the semester in which they’re awarded and cannot be rolled over.
The union asks that the university allow those credits to roll over from semester to semester, citing that the departments that pay for them pay for the full nine, whether the credits are used or not.
But Klomparens said the university’s dated computer system within the Office of Planning and Budgets may not be able to handle the rollover.
“I’m not sure (the system) could technically handle tuition waivers and carry them over from one situation to the next,” she said.
