This Friday, from 1:30PM-5:30PM is a combination impact-bargaining-and-regular-bargaining session. Will we sign the MOU and finally end impact bargaining? Who knows! Will we agree on a sexual harassment article and power-based harassment protections? Maybe! Come to bargaining to find out for yourself!
The Good
We’ve made a LOT of progress on both regular and impact bargaining so far this year. On COVID impact bargaining, we have gotten the University to agree to:
Allow GAs to request students social distance or meet outside/in an open space if the student chooses not to wear a face covering
Allow individual departments to request stronger health and safety protocols than the University at large
Allow GAs to end class if, due to violation of safety policies, the room becomes unsafe to conduct class in
Allow GAs to work remotely for as long as they OR THEIR DEPENDENTS are in COVID quarantine, as many times as they are in COVID quarantine
Limit our workload to our CURRENT appointment levels—i.e., if we are consistently working more than that, this is a grieveable offense.
Persons with disabilities or pregnancy concerns may submit a request for workplace modifications
Assist GAs who have their Florida residency interrupted this year due to COVID
On regular bargaining, there is also good news. The University has given the GAU:
Guaranteed time at all campus Orientations
Expansions to our guaranteed workspace resources
Workplace safety accommodations
More supplemental hours (to pay YOU if you want a job working for US!)
An “anonymous complaint” process whereby Graduate Assistants can remain anonymous but also have non-punitive remedies for their harassment, such as switching classes, sections, labs, &c.
An “interim” process whereby Graduate Assistants can be non-punitively protected after they file a complaint from the abusive situation
Creating a written discipline process, so that…
…Graduate Assistants cannot be disciplined “under the table” through reassignments, limiting of resources, &c.
Acknowledging power-based harassment
Acknowledging pregnant persons as a protected class
Acknowledging gender identity and expression as a protected class
This is a LOT of what we asked for. We have further to go, of course, which leads us to…
The Bad
FSU REJECTED our demand for 3rd party investigators for sexual harassment and misconduct claims FSU REJECTED our demand for an arbitrator for an appeals process for sexual harassment and misconduct claims FSU REJECTED our proposal for Hazard Pay for COVID in the form of fee remittance and medical bill coverage. In fact, their lawyer told us to go ask FEMA to cover our COVID funeral expenses, rather than agree to have FSU pay for them. Unless something major changes, that’s as far as we’re going to get on COVID bargaining.
The Impact
Maybe the administration hasn’t heard enough of our stories to know how broken their current processes are. If you have a story you’d like to share about sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination you’ve experienced at FSU, we want to hear from you. If you have a story you want to share about how the current health and safety measures just aren’t worth $15,600 a year, we want to hear from you. Impact statements can be anonymous, and we can read them for you. Even If you don’t have any particular story but are just concerned, SHOW UP to bargaining this Friday and remind the administration that all eyes are on THEM. They have the chance to do the right thing and save lives. Let’s not let them forget it.
We’ll be available in our “caucus room” for 30 minutes before Impact Bargaining this Friday. 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 1:30PM to make your voice heard, and then we will head over to the “main” bargaining room at 2:00PM to present those demands to the FSU administration! Looking forward to seeing you all at bargaining this Friday. Remember: united we bargain, divided we beg! In Solidarity, Vincenza Antonetta Berardo Chief Negotiator & Bargaining Chair