Update on Bargaining with SENS-UAW Local 7902, Academic Student Workers
A Message from Sonya Williams, Vice President for Human Resources
The New School and SENS-UAW Local 7902, Academic Student Workers, met today to continue negotiations. The university is eager to reach agreement, and we are committed to staying at the table to reach an agreement.Â
Today, we confirmed verbally with the union that we have agreement on 15 additional articles and are very close on the remaining open issues, including wages, health insurance, and several other issues.Â
That is why today we again revised our offers in each of these areas. We are waiting for the union’s response on these issues:
- Increased offer on first year wages to match the union’s proposal;
- Agreed to provide the same level of health care coverage for PhD and Masters Academic Student Workers; and
- Agreed to the union’s proposal on reproductive and gender affirming care.
‌We were prepared to stay at the table to bridge the remaining gaps, but the union indicated that they had to leave for the day. Â
The university has repeatedly asked the union to agree to bring in a neutral mediator, as part of our efforts to avoid a prolonged strike. It is our hope that we can reach an agreement tomorrow when we meet again at 10:00 am.
We have respect for the critical role that our Academic Student Workers play on this campus, and we understand—and are continuing to work hard to address—the issues that matter most to them.
We will keep the community updated.