Congratulations members! You did it!
On Friday, 9/18, at approximately 3:00 PM, your GAU bargaining team and the FSU administration agreed on a FINAL version of MOU #2, thus closing the books on impact bargaining.
Some bullet-points on what this means, and what it DOESN'T mean:
Up next for this MOU#2 will be "ratification." Basically, you have to vote if you want it or not! That will be another e-mail coming your way, and it will have the full MOU attached so you can check it out
ANYBODY (who is a GA) can vote during ratification: member of the union or not. But, hey, if you know someone who's not a member but is pretty pleased by this news, maybe direct them to our sign-up page, huh?
Hell yes, we got you a way to apply for an extra year of funding
Hell yes, we got workplace safety protections
Hell yes, we took care of the out-of-state tuition and fees for first year GAs NEXT year, so they don't have to stress moving here NOW
Regular bargaining is still ongoing. In fact, be on the look-out for an e-mail this Monday about TWO days of bargaining this week, Wednesday AND Friday
That last point is important: your raises, your health insurance, fee relief, &c. are ALL still on the line! You might have won the battle over MOU #2 but the war for the CBA ("Collective Bargaining Agreement," your union contract with the university) still rages on! One piece of good news we CAN share with you on that front: your health insurance premiums WILL NOT GO UP this year--in fact, they're going down by at least $3 (hey, it's something!). Negotiations on that are still ongoing, though: you want to pay even less? Show up, bring your friends, bring your colleagues, and let's close out the rest of this bargaining season in a BIG way!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at bargaining@fsugau.org (if it's in reference to bargaining) or info@fsugau.org (if it's in reference to anything else). And you know what? Take tomorrow and pat yourselves on the back. Eat some ice cream. Draw yourself a bath. Because YOU guys, and your INCREDIBLE support showing up at EVERY ONE of these bargaining sessions, is what made that happen. We've got more work to do, but take a minute out of your day and allow yourselves this moment of victory. You've earned it. In Solidarity and Victory,
Vincenza Antonetta Berardo Chief Negotiator, UFF-FSU-GAU Ph.D. Candidate Philosophy Department Florida State University
