After not returning a SINGLE article to us out of TWELVE proposals, FSU adjourned bargaining this past Thursday. Therefore, bargaining session number 15 will be this TUESDAY, 10/19, 2-5PM. Show up to find out if FSU has ANYTHING to say to us on our proposal, or if they will continue to delay some more.
Update #14
This past Thursday, we presented FSU with several different categories of demands:
We ACCEPTED: Status quo language for Articles 11, 24, 21, 20; as well as FSU’s language on 7 and 16.
We Returned Without Change: Our Articles 8 (Sexual harassment) and 10 (Paid Time off/Leave), 23 (Stipends), and 12 (Tuition Waivers and Fee Relief)
We Counter-Proposed: Article 2 (Appointment length/letters)—We asked for 10 days prior to each semester paid preparation time, as a counter to FSU’s 3 days.
We Presented: Article 22 (Definitions) with an updated definition of “relative.” This should be uncontroversial since it is FSU’s definition of “relative.”
For Article 23 (Stipends), we are asking for: $1,000 back-pay raises for the last 2 years that we received bonus, instead of raises. Then, we asked for $1,000 raises ($2.06 an hour) this year as well, in addition to raising the minimum stipend to $22,500.
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:
Fees/Tuition Waivers: Are the fees Too Damn High? Are you an international GA who pays most of their stipend BACK to the University in the form of tuition? Share with FSU’s bargaining team EXACTLY how this makes you feel!
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.
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 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 1:30PM. Remember: united we bargain, divided we beg! In Solidarity, Vincenza Antonetta Berardo Chief Negotiator & Bargaining Chair