We are pleased to announce that UC has reached tentative agreements with the United Auto Workers (UAW) on new three-year contracts for Academic Student Employees and Graduate Student Researchers.
We believe these agreements honor the vital contributions you and your colleagues make to UC’s teaching and research activities, and also uphold UC’s tradition of supporting ASEs and GSRs with compensation and benefits packages that are among the best in the country.
Highlights of the tentative agreements include:
Academic Student Employees (ASEs)
- Compensation: 90 days from ratification, TAs/Assoc. Instructors, Teaching Fellows and hourly ASEs will all receive meaningful pay increases, followed by significant pay increases in each subsequent contract In addition to October 2023 increases, TAs and Associate Instructors will also be eligible for experience-based increases. By Oct. 1, 2024, the minimum nine-month salary for TAs will be $34,000 for 50%-time appointments. AIs and Teaching Fellows will also receive salary increases.
- Childcare reimbursement: $1350/quarter or $2025/semester, plus $1350 for ASEs will also be entitled to an additional $100 per year, effective on Oct. 1, 2023, and Oct. 1, 2024.
- Paid Leave: Expanded to eight paid weeks per year for serious health conditions, family care, baby bonding, pregnancy or childbirth-related needs; short-term paid leave of 2 days for quarter campuses and 3 days for semester campuses; paid bereavement leave of 5 calendar days.
- Fee remissions: UC to cover 100% of campus fees for eligible ASEs with 25 percent or greater appointments, up from $100 per quarter and $150 per semester. This represents an increase of over $1,000 per year on certain campuses, in addition to the 100% coverage of tuition, student services fees, and health care alreadybprovided to qualified ASEs. This amounts to UC covering a total of $13,707 up to $22,248 for all tuition and fees for eligible ASEs, depending on the campus. In addition, UC will cover Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for up to three years for eligible ASEs who have advanced to candidacy in their degree programs.
- Transit:
- Participation in transit and parking-related services on the same basis as other
- Within 12 months of ratification: Access to a pre-tax program to pay for transit costs, and access to a UC-negotiated e-bike purchase discount program;
- UC agrees to attempt to negotiate reduced-fee or no-fee access to regional transit system(s);
- Formation of a joint labor-management committee to explore additional
- Benefits: Continued participation for eligible ASEs in a UC-sponsored student health plan to the same degree as other eligible students at that campus. Eligible ASEs with 25 percent or more appointment to receive full remission of monthly premium for UC-sponsored student health plan. In addition, UC will pay 100% of dependent child premiums for eligible ASEs.
- Reasonable Accommodation: Confirms reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities and access needs and provides temporary work adjustments for bargaining unit members during the interactive process; establishes a joint labor-management committee to address accessibility.
- Respectful work environment: New contract provision to address abusive conduct and provide a dispute resolution process.
- Holidays: Recognition of Juneteenth as a UC
Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs)
- Compensation: 90 days from ratification, GSRs will see significant pay increases in each year of the contract(GSRs on the lowest three salary points will see an especially significant increase in the first year due to conversion to a new salary scale). By Oct. 1, 2024, the first step on the new salary scale will be set at $34,564.50 for 50%-time appointments.
- Child care reimbursement: $1350 per fiscal GSRs will also be entitled to an additional $100 per year, effective on Oct. 1, 2023, and Oct. 1, 2024.
- Paid Leave: Expanded to eight paid weeks per year for serious health conditions, family care, baby bonding, pregnancy or childbirth-related needs; short-term paid leave of 2 days for quarter campuses and three days for semester campuses; paid bereavement leave of 5 calendar days.
- In addition, 12 days of paid Personal Time Off (PTO) is a new benefit for
- Fee remissions: UC to cover 100% of campus fees for eligible GSRs with 25 percent or greater appointments, up from $100 per quarter and $150 per semester. This represents an increase of over $1,000 per year on certain campuses, in addition to the 100% coverage of tuition, student services fees, and health care already provided to qualified GSRs. This amounts to UC covering a total of $13,707 up to $22,248 for all tuition and fees for eligible GSRs, depending on the campus. In addition, UC will cover Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for up to three years for eligible GSRs who have advanced to candidacy in their degree programs.
- Transit:
- Participation in transit and parking-related services on the same basis as other
- Within 12 months of ratification: Access to a pre-tax program to pay for transit costs and access to a UC-negotiated e-bike purchase discount program;
- UC agrees to attempt to negotiate reduced-fee or no-fee access to regional transit system(s);
- Formation of a joint labor-management committee to explore additional
- Benefits: Continued participation for eligible GSRs in a UC-sponsored student health plan to the same degree as other eligible students at that campus. Eligible GSRs with 25 percent or more appointment to receive full remission of monthly premium for UC-sponsored student health plan. In addition, UC will pay 100% of dependent child premiums for eligible GSRs.
- Reasonable Accommodation: Confirms reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities and access needs and provides temporary work adjustments for bargaining unit members during the interactive process; establishes a joint labor-management committee to address accessibility.
- Respectful work environment: New contract provisions address abusive conduct and provide a dispute resolution process.
- Holidays: Recognition of Juneteenth as a UC
If you have any questions about the agreements, you may contact your local labor relations office. As always, thank you for your many contributions to our research mission and the UC community.