Upcoming Union Negotiations
A Message from Sonya Williams, Vice President for Human Resources
Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I am writing to share the status of upcoming negotiations with some of our New School unions and our efforts to engage in productive, collaborative bargaining to reach new agreements that recognize the hard work and dedication of our unionized employees.
As you may be aware, contracts with SHENS-UAW Local 7902, the union representing Student Health Employees, and SENS-UAW Local 7902, the union representing Academic Student Workers, are due for renewal over the next few months.
Update on SHENS-UAW Local 7902
On May 11, the university notified SHENS-UAW Local 7902, the union representing our Student Health Employees, that we were ready to begin contract negotiations before the current three-year contract, with an automatic 90-day extension, expires on August 9.
The university has told the union leadership that we are available to meet at their earliest convenience, and at the union’s request, our first bargaining session will take place on July 17th.
Update on SENS-UAW Local 7902
On June 1, the university notified SENS-UAW Local 7902, representing our Academic Student Workers, whose contract continues until August 31, 2023, that we were ready to begin negotiating. We felt it was important to start bargaining over the summer to ensure both sides had ample time at the bargaining table before the existing contract expires.
We would like to note that we value the contribution all our student workers make to the daily life of the university, and that at the same time they are, first and foremost, students. The advancement of their educational goals, as well as the educational goals of the students whom they teach or support, is the university’s highest priority.
While the negotiations are beginning later than we had expected, we are ready and willing to open substantive conversations on July 17th and are committed to making our bargaining team available as often as required to reach fair, mutually beneficial agreements. Unions, and their members, are an integral and vital part of life at The New School and we look forward to working with them during the summer months to achieve this goal.
We take a principled and consistent approach in all our dealings with our unions, and are committed to fairness and transparency. Our aim is to make an offer which reflects the needs and interests of our student workers, as well as respecting the roles they undertake in our community.
Once talks begin with both units, we will communicate our progress with you regularly. You can also stay updated on our Union Negotiations at The New School page.