January 30 and February 2 Public Bargaining Update
January 30, 2026 and February 2, 2026 Bargaining Sessions
During our bargaining sessions on January 30 and February 2, the University and Union exchanged proposals on Discipline and Dismissal, Workload, Training, Union Rights, Health & Safety, and Non-Discrimination, Bullying, & Harassment. We have not received a response from the University on 15 of our counters and initial proposals, including many of our major economic proposals, which were initially proposed on January 5, 2026, and Academic Freedom, which we initially proposed on November 10. At the February 2 session, the University provided information related to the Union Rights, Health & Safety, Remote Work, and International GA Rights proposals.
For Union Rights, the University agreed to provide additional information to the Union as proposed by the Union so we can better serve GAs and a 20-hour summer union release time position, but rejected many of our other proposed changes. We countered by reasserting our proposal for an on-campus union office, updated emailing access, the right to reserve space on par with other registered organizations and post on bulletin boards, 100 hours of GA union release time, and a GEU representative on Board of Trustees committees.
For Health & Safety, the University accepted many of our proposed health and safety improvements, including agreeing to provide adequate and necessary first aid equipment, the right to refuse to work in hazardous conditions, and protections against future rollbacks.
For information on the other articles and to view each side’s proposals and counterproposals, check out the bargaining tracker on our website! We look forward to continuing to bargain with the University on February 9th.
For Union Rights, the University agreed to provide additional information to the Union as proposed by the Union so we can better serve GAs and a 20-hour summer union release time position, but rejected many of our other proposed changes. We countered by reasserting our proposal for an on-campus union office, updated emailing access, the right to reserve space on par with other registered organizations and post on bulletin boards, 100 hours of GA union release time, and a GEU representative on Board of Trustees committees.
For Health & Safety, the University accepted many of our proposed health and safety improvements, including agreeing to provide adequate and necessary first aid equipment, the right to refuse to work in hazardous conditions, and protections against future rollbacks.
For information on the other articles and to view each side’s proposals and counterproposals, check out the bargaining tracker on our website! We look forward to continuing to bargain with the University on February 9th.
January 15 Public Bargaining Update
January 15, 2026 Bargaining Session
During our eleventh bargaining session on January 15, we made proposals on Leaves of Absence and Rights and Protections for Non-Citizen Graduate Assistants and provided counters on Discipline and Non-Discrimination, Bullying, and Harassment. We have not yet heard a response from the University on 15 of our counters and proposals, including Academic Freedom which was initially proposed on November 10.
During the session, the University rejected almost all our proposed improvements to Parking & Transit and accepted a few changes, most, but not all, of which reflect the current status quo for parking and transit on campus. On Discipline, the University’s counter provided that upon request, the University would provide the Union with a copy of any investigatory report that was relied upon in connection with the contemplated discipline.
We look forward to our next session on Friday, January 30th.
- On Leaves of Absence, we proposed:
- 16 weeks of parental leave during pregnancy or after birth for both birth parent and non-birth parent;
- 10 days of bereavement leave for the loss of family member, which we expanded to include siblings, aunt/uncle, grandparents, and close friends;
- Increasing personal leave from 3 to 5 days per semester.
- 16 weeks of parental leave during pregnancy or after birth for both birth parent and non-birth parent;
- On Rights and Protections for Non-Citizen Graduate Assistants, we proposed:
- Protocols to protect non-citizen GAs during interactions with law and immigration enforcement agencies;
- Union notification if there is an immigration investigation of a GA;
- The establishment of a legal support fund to reimburse legal expenses;
- Continuity of pay and benefits, and re-employment if a GA temporarily loses work authorization, to the extent permitted by law;
- 60 days of unpaid job-protected leave for immigration and visa matters.
- Protocols to protect non-citizen GAs during interactions with law and immigration enforcement agencies;
- On Discipline, we accepted most of the University’s proposed changes, but rejected a change that would restrict our access to investigatory reports unless they were used to consider the level of discipline
- On Non-Discrimination, Bullying, and Harassment, we accepted most of the University’s proposed changes, but rejected their insertion of “unlawful” to discrimination.
During the session, the University rejected almost all our proposed improvements to Parking & Transit and accepted a few changes, most, but not all, of which reflect the current status quo for parking and transit on campus. On Discipline, the University’s counter provided that upon request, the University would provide the Union with a copy of any investigatory report that was relied upon in connection with the contemplated discipline.
We look forward to our next session on Friday, January 30th.
January 5 Public Bargaining Update
January 5, 2026 Bargaining Session
During our tenth bargaining session on January 5, we started the new year strong by proposing revisions to ten articles including Childcare, Housing, Parking and Transit, Health Insurance, Stipends & Wages, Tuition & Fee Waivers, and more. The university made two proposals on Non-Discrimination, Bullying, and Harassment and Discipline.
The University made the following proposals:
We look forward to our next session on January 15th from 10am-12pm.
- On Childcare, we proposed increasing the childcare fund to cover the deficit in our current childcare reimbursement fund and the creation of a grant of $1000 for each GA per semester to cover other childcare expenses for their children 5 years and under.
- On Housing, we proposed tying on-campus graduate housing fees to the HUD’s fair market rent and the creation of a $700,000 rent support fund for Graduate Assistants.
- On Travel, we proposed clarifying GA access to travel cards and a 10-business day deadline to process travel reimbursements.
- On Union Rights, we proposed enhanced information access to better serve GAs and speed up grievance investigations, an on-campus union office, updated emailing access, the right to reserve space on par with other registered organizations and the right to post on bulletin boards and in GA offices, 120 hours of GA union release time from a current total of 50 hours per week, and a GEU representative on the Board of Trustees.
- On Parking and Transit, highlights include free parking access for commuter, Area 2, and garage parking, waived citations when there is no parking available in an area, guaranteed overnight parking access, a grace period for obtaining permits at the beginning of the year, access to all accessible parking spots regardless of permit type, 142 GA-only Lot N spots, access to Area 1 if Area 2 and commuters spots are significantly reduced, shuttles between campuses and towns, and the creation of a bike rebate program of $1,000 for e-Bikes and $300 for traditional bikes, annual allowance of $150 for bike maintenance, priority access to covered and secure bicycle storage along with free EV charging for GAs who hold a parking permit.
- On Health Insurance, we proposed adding vision insurance coverage, continuing the current health insurance rate for GA-only coverage, and reducing the rate for GA+1 and GA+Family coverage by approximately 50%.
- On Stipend & Wages, we proposed increasing stipends for the first year of the contract so that Level 1 base stipends (currently $28,596) match the rate calculated by MIT’s living wage calculator for Tolland County for full time employment (currently $51,468), an approximate increase of 77 % to 80 % from their current stipend levels; and increasing the stipends by 4.5% each year of the contract thereafter.
- On Summer/Intercession GA Appointments, we proposed increasing the per credit rate to match our stipend proposal, as well as to increase leave to two to three days to match leave day proportions for the academic year.
- On Tuition and Fee Waivers, we proposed a full fee waiver.
- On AI, we countered the university’s rejection of the article last session by proposing a framework wherein the GEU is recognized as a stakeholder in the formation of all university AI policies and ensuring the university is required to follow all relevant laws.
The University made the following proposals:
- On Discrimination and Harassment, the University proposed adding the word “unlawful” to describe the prohibited forms of discrimination in the article.
- On Discipline, the University proposed including a letter of reprimand as a level of discipline in the article to conform with current practice, as well as providing only the investigatory report relevant to the discipline being considered.
We look forward to our next session on January 15th from 10am-12pm.
December 16 Public Bargaining Update
December 16, 2025 Bargaining Session
During our ninth bargaining session, we signed Tentative Agreements on our Grievance & Arbitration and Holidays articles! Our bargaining committee and the University’s team also exchanged counters on Workload, Appointment & Reappointment, and AI.
The University has not yet returned a counter on our Academic Freedom proposal. As for AI, they rejected our proposal in full.
We presented counters on two articles: Article 10: Workload and Article 5: Appointment and Reappointment.
For Workload, our counter proposal largely struck the University’s proposed changes to the original article. Additionally, we proposed overtime pay (“time and a half”) for overwork and supervisor training on workload. The University responded to this counter proposal in the session with their own counter, reasserting that required training should be included in GA’s workload and proposing all GAs should track their hours and raise workload issues within 4 weeks.
For Appointment & Reappointment, we proposed a minimum academic year appointment, earlier notifications for summer appointments, and notification if a GA is not renewed. A GA in the Physics department gave testimony on how their department's short notice on course assignments negatively affects GAs and explained how a lack of time to prepare can make it more challenging for us to effectively serve our students. The University’s team listened attentively. We eagerly await their response.
The next bargaining session will take place on January 5, 2026, from 10am-1pm.
The University has not yet returned a counter on our Academic Freedom proposal. As for AI, they rejected our proposal in full.
We presented counters on two articles: Article 10: Workload and Article 5: Appointment and Reappointment.
For Workload, our counter proposal largely struck the University’s proposed changes to the original article. Additionally, we proposed overtime pay (“time and a half”) for overwork and supervisor training on workload. The University responded to this counter proposal in the session with their own counter, reasserting that required training should be included in GA’s workload and proposing all GAs should track their hours and raise workload issues within 4 weeks.
For Appointment & Reappointment, we proposed a minimum academic year appointment, earlier notifications for summer appointments, and notification if a GA is not renewed. A GA in the Physics department gave testimony on how their department's short notice on course assignments negatively affects GAs and explained how a lack of time to prepare can make it more challenging for us to effectively serve our students. The University’s team listened attentively. We eagerly await their response.
The next bargaining session will take place on January 5, 2026, from 10am-1pm.
December 2 Public Bargaining Update
December 2, 2025 Bargaining Session
We, the members of the GEU-UAW Local 6950 bargaining committee, are pleased to share our next public bargaining update. During our eighth bargaining session on Tuesday, December 2 we verbally reached our first two Tentative Agreements which represent preliminary agreements on our Grievance & Arbitration and Holidays contract articles!
Major changes to the Grievance & Arbitration article from the current contract:
The University also returned a counter on Appointment and Reappointment which proposed:
The University also rejected our proposed new Remote Work article, explaining that remote work is an available alternative worksite under existing contract language in Article 9, & 4. We have not yet received the University’s response to our proposals on AI and Academic Freedom.
Major changes to the Grievance & Arbitration article from the current contract:
- GAs now will have 45 days to file a grievance from when a grievant becomes aware or should have become aware of an event giving rise to the grievance, “whichever is later”.
- The Step 1 grievance hearing will be scheduled within 14 days from the date of filing, with a decision sent within 14 days after that.
- The university is now responsible for paying its own arbitration filing fee.
- Juneteenth is now incorporated into the list of holidays GAs have off, reflecting the parties’ prior agreement that it would become a GA holiday if it became a recognized State holiday.
- For cultural and religious holidays not listed in the contract, GAs who wish to take those holidays off will give as much advance notice as possible, and requests to take holidays “shall not be unreasonably denied.” They should talk to their supervisors about a plan to make up for any missed work.
The University also returned a counter on Appointment and Reappointment which proposed:
- Removing the type of appointment (Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant) from GA offer letters;
- Keeping the minimum appointment length to one semester, as opposed to our initial proposal for a minimum appointment of a full calendar year;
- That it is preferable for existing GAs to be prioritized for funding for a reasonable number of semesters over incoming GAs.
The University also rejected our proposed new Remote Work article, explaining that remote work is an available alternative worksite under existing contract language in Article 9, & 4. We have not yet received the University’s response to our proposals on AI and Academic Freedom.
November 19 Public Bargaining Update
November 19, 2025 Bargaining Session
We, the members of the GEU-UAW Local 6950 bargaining committee, are pleased to share our next public bargaining update. During our seventh bargaining session on Wednesday, November 19th we exchanged counters on Grievance & Arbitration, Holidays, and Health & Safety, and the University proposed revisions to the Workload article. We have not yet received the University’s response to our proposals on AI, Academic Freedom, Appointment and Reappointment, and Remote Work.
For Grievance & Arbitration, we exchanged counters with the University focusing on the grievance filing deadline and arbitration hearing scheduling. Our last counter of the day reflected the movement that took place over the session:
For Holidays, we exchanged counters with the University focusing on cultural and religious holidays. In our last counter of the day, we proposed GAs are required to give “as much advance notice as possible,” but there would be no requirement to have a written plan to make up work, and indicated that we are prepared to tentatively agree (“TA”) the article.
For Health & Safety, at the beginning of the session the University countered with a proposal that would require GAs working in a hazardous workplace to follow the process laid out in the University Health & Safety policy, rather than our proposal that GAs have the right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions. In the same counter, the University agreed to provide adequate and necessary first aid equipment, information, and training, but struck our proposed language on doxxing protections.
The University proposed revisions to our existing Workload article that they stated would maintain what the University believes to be the current practice of excluding “optional” trainings from counting as part of a GA’s workload. They also proposed that workload violations be addressed through the standard grievance procedure, rather than the current separate procedure.
We look forward to our next bargaining session on Tuesday, December 2. GA union members are welcome to sign up to observe that session by November 28.
For Grievance & Arbitration, we exchanged counters with the University focusing on the grievance filing deadline and arbitration hearing scheduling. Our last counter of the day reflected the movement that took place over the session:
- For the grievance process, we proposed extending the grievance filing deadline to 60 days, dated from when a grievant becomes aware or should have become aware of the contract violation, “whichever is later.” The University agreed to our “whichever is later” language in their counter. Additionally, we accepted the University’s proposal to extend the timeline for the hearing scheduling and decision of step 1 grievances, contingent on the University’s agreement to our proposed 60 day filing deadline.
- For arbitration, in our first counter we withdrew our proposal to have an arbitrator panel. In response, the University agreed to remove the current language in the contract that requires the union to pay both parties’ fees. For scheduling the arbitration hearings, the university agreed to meet at the earliest time an arbitrator is available after making reasonable efforts to meet within 120 days. In our last counter of the day, we proposed decreasing that time to 90 days.
For Holidays, we exchanged counters with the University focusing on cultural and religious holidays. In our last counter of the day, we proposed GAs are required to give “as much advance notice as possible,” but there would be no requirement to have a written plan to make up work, and indicated that we are prepared to tentatively agree (“TA”) the article.
For Health & Safety, at the beginning of the session the University countered with a proposal that would require GAs working in a hazardous workplace to follow the process laid out in the University Health & Safety policy, rather than our proposal that GAs have the right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions. In the same counter, the University agreed to provide adequate and necessary first aid equipment, information, and training, but struck our proposed language on doxxing protections.
- In response, we countered reasserting our proposal to allow GAs the right to refuse to work in hazardous workplaces, and that the University’s Health and Safety policy is incorporated into the agreement provided that no future revisions to it would roll back existing protections.
The University proposed revisions to our existing Workload article that they stated would maintain what the University believes to be the current practice of excluding “optional” trainings from counting as part of a GA’s workload. They also proposed that workload violations be addressed through the standard grievance procedure, rather than the current separate procedure.
We look forward to our next bargaining session on Tuesday, December 2. GA union members are welcome to sign up to observe that session by November 28.
November 10 Public Bargaining Update
November 10, 2025 Bargaining Session
We, the members of the GEU-UAW Local 6950 bargaining committee, are pleased to share our
next public bargaining update. During our sixth bargaining session on Monday, November 10th,
we welcomed GEU member observers for the first time.
We proposed a new article on Academic Freedom, significant revisions on our existing
Appointment and Reappointment article, and returned two counter proposals on Grievance &
Arbitration and Holidays.
After taking a caucus, the University responded with two counter proposals on Holidays and
Grievance & Arbitration.
We look forward to our next bargaining session on Wednesday, November 19th. GA members
are welcome to sign up here to observe that session.
next public bargaining update. During our sixth bargaining session on Monday, November 10th,
we welcomed GEU member observers for the first time.
We proposed a new article on Academic Freedom, significant revisions on our existing
Appointment and Reappointment article, and returned two counter proposals on Grievance &
Arbitration and Holidays.
- On academic freedom, we proposed an article that affirms the university’s commitment to academic freedom as laid out in its bylaws, states that GAs are entitled to academic freedom, and codifies GAs’ right to express themselves as members of society or as representatives of their fields. A GA gave testimony in support of academic freedom, explaining that knowing the university had their back would help them feel more comfortable covering more sensitive topics in the classroom.
- We proposed modifying the existing Appointment and Reappointment article to extend minimum appointment duration from a semester to a full academic year plus summer appointment. Our proposal would also require the University to hire current grad students before hiring incoming students, to set the start date of GA appointments 10 days before the beginning of the Fall semester, and to send Supplemental Descriptions of Duties forms at least 30 days before the semester.
- Our Holidays counter focused mainly on religious and cultural holidays. We struck the University’s proposal that would require GAs to provide a list of intended cultural and religious holidays at the beginning of the semester. We accepted language that states that requests to take religious and cultural holidays not listed in the contract “will not be unreasonably denied” to ensure GAs feel empowered to request these holidays off.
- For our Grievance and Arbitration counter proposal, we proposed extending the grievance filing deadline to 90 days, establishing a panel of arbitrators with a process to fill vacancies, scheduling arbitration hearings within 30 days if a grievance is appealed to arbitration, and splitting the cost of the arbitration filing fee along with all other arbitration costs. A Graduate Assistant representing the union’s Grievance Committee gave testimony in support of extending the grievance filing deadline to 90 days, stating that it’s important to have time to informally investigate grievances and that the university cited timeliness in 4 out of 10 grievance denial decisions in the past three years. The Union also rejected the University’s proposal to add a section that waives GAs’ ability to grieve or arbitrate claims in the event they file a judicial or administrative agency claim or complaint on the same issue.
After taking a caucus, the University responded with two counter proposals on Holidays and
Grievance & Arbitration.
- With regard to the Holidays article, the University reasserted language that required GAs to provide a list of intended cultural and religious holidays they would like to take at the beginning of their appointment period and proposed a process by which GAs would work with their supervisors to address the impact of any absence related to a cultural and religious holiday on the GAs’ work assignment.
- For the Grievance & Arbitration article, the University struck the Union’s proposed 90 days Step 1 filing deadline and proposed extending the grievance filing deadline to 35 days from the current 30 days in the CBA. Their proposals also would extend the Step 1 hearing and decision timeline to allow for separate timelines for a Step 1 hearing and issuing a Step 1 decision, maintain existing CBA language that requires the party filing for arbitration to pay the filing fee, extend the total time the Union has to file for arbitration to 30 days, and require the parties to make reasonable efforts to schedule arbitration hearings within 120 days. The University also withdrew their proposal to add a section that waives GAs’ ability to grieve or arbitrate claims in the event they file a judicial or administrative agency claim or complaint on the same issue on the condition that there was agreement with the University’s other counter proposals related to this article.
We look forward to our next bargaining session on Wednesday, November 19th. GA members
are welcome to sign up here to observe that session.
October 27 Public Bargaining Update
October 27, 2025 Bargaining Session
We, the members of the GEU-UAW Local 6950 bargaining committee, are pleased to begin sharing public bargaining updates about negotiations for our next union contract.
With our fifth bargaining session this past Monday, October 27th, we entered the next phase of our negotiations. We reached an agreement on ground rules with UConn’s bargaining team, made five proposals, and received two counterproposals from the University.
Ground rules govern how negotiations are conducted between unionized employees and their employers; they cover matters such as negotiation scheduling, format, and attendance. One notable feature of our ground rules is that they provide for a fair process between us and the University to mutually agree to public updates such as this one, as well as to release publicly proposals and counter proposals. In cases where we cannot come to a timely agreement, both the University and our bargaining committee may still publicly share proposals. Our ground rules also allow up to 36 graduate assistants to attend each session as observers, and the parties are expected to negotiate in good faith.
The terms of all proposals and counterproposals are subject to change until a tentative agreement on an article is reached by both parties. Such tentative agreements are subject to an agreement for the contract as a whole, subsequent Union ratification, and approval of the Board and the General Assembly.
After reaching an agreement on ground rules, we made five substantive non-economic proposals:
We also proposed two new articles that don’t exist in our current GA contract:
UConn’s negotiations team listened attentively as we presented our proposals and asked a series of thoughtful questions. After taking a caucus, the University responded with two counter-proposals on Holidays and Grievance & Arbitration.
After bringing these counters, the University’s team indicated they would likely respond to more of our proposals at our next session. Overall, we had a productive bargaining session, and look forward to continued discussions with the University at our next bargaining session on November 10th.
With our fifth bargaining session this past Monday, October 27th, we entered the next phase of our negotiations. We reached an agreement on ground rules with UConn’s bargaining team, made five proposals, and received two counterproposals from the University.
Ground rules govern how negotiations are conducted between unionized employees and their employers; they cover matters such as negotiation scheduling, format, and attendance. One notable feature of our ground rules is that they provide for a fair process between us and the University to mutually agree to public updates such as this one, as well as to release publicly proposals and counter proposals. In cases where we cannot come to a timely agreement, both the University and our bargaining committee may still publicly share proposals. Our ground rules also allow up to 36 graduate assistants to attend each session as observers, and the parties are expected to negotiate in good faith.
The terms of all proposals and counterproposals are subject to change until a tentative agreement on an article is reached by both parties. Such tentative agreements are subject to an agreement for the contract as a whole, subsequent Union ratification, and approval of the Board and the General Assembly.
After reaching an agreement on ground rules, we made five substantive non-economic proposals:
- We proposed modifying the existing Holidays article to update the existing mutually agreed upon contract language, which provides that Juneteenth would become a listed GA holiday should the State recognize it as one, to reflect the parties’ prior agreement that it is a GA holiday as it has since become a recognized State holiday. We also proposed to require the University to accommodate GAs who wish to celebrate cultural and religious holidays.
- We proposed modifying our contract’s Health and Safety article to ensure that safety equipment is proactively provided to GAs when required, to guarantee that UConn’s health and safety policy for GAs remains robust, and to add protections against doxxing.
- For our Grievance and Arbitration article, we proposed extending grievance filing deadlines, to endeavor to mutually agree on establishing a panel of arbitrators, and setting clear timelines if a grievance is appealed to arbitration.
We also proposed two new articles that don’t exist in our current GA contract:
- The first on Remote Work, which would allow GAs to work remotely unless their duties require them to be in person.
- The second on Artificial Intelligence, which sets guidelines on the introduction of AI technologies and current and future AI implementation. It also prohibits the elimination of GA positions by AI, the surveillance of employees using AI technologies, the use of AI in hiring or disciplinary decisions, and the digital alteration of employees’ data without consent.
UConn’s negotiations team listened attentively as we presented our proposals and asked a series of thoughtful questions. After taking a caucus, the University responded with two counter-proposals on Holidays and Grievance & Arbitration.
- With regard to the Holidays article, the University accepted the proposal to update the parties’ previous agreement that Juneteenth be a listed GA holiday as it has since been recognized as a State holiday. The University also proposed GAs provide a list of intended cultural and religious holidays they would like to take at the beginning of the semester in order to balance the desire to observe holidays not listed in the contract with institutional obligations, such as providing instruction and conducting research.
- The University rejected our proposed changes to the Grievance and Arbitration article in part because the parties had agreed to eliminate the use of an arbitrator panel from the previous contract as this method had proved to be unworkable. The University proposed adding a section that waives GAs’ ability to grieve or arbitrate claims in the event they file a judicial or administrative agency claim or complaint on the same issue, stating that it would create a more efficient process and avoid contradictory outcomes.
After bringing these counters, the University’s team indicated they would likely respond to more of our proposals at our next session. Overall, we had a productive bargaining session, and look forward to continued discussions with the University at our next bargaining session on November 10th.
