2020-2023 Collective
Bargaining Agreement

You can find our past 2020-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement here.  If you would like more information about bargaining or to represent your department as a Steward, reach out at geo@uml.edu

Wins in the 2020-2023 contract:

A complete text of proposed changes to the contract was emailed to Members at the time of the ratification vote. Below is a summary of changes GEO won in the agreement:

• Stipend increase to take place Fall 2020

Full-Time Assistant, full year:

Step 1: $15,000.00

Step 2: $16,856.42

Step 3: $18,280.78

• Stipend increase to take place Fall 2021

Full-Time Assistant, full year:

Step 1: $16,050.00

Step 2: $18,036.37

Step 3: $19,560.43

• Stipend increase to take place Fall 2022 (Minimum Stipend Rates payable to TA/RA/GAAs)

Full-Time Assistant, full year:

Step 1: $17,500.00

Step 2: $19,118.55

Step 3: $20,538.45

• Parking rate set at $60 / semester (Starting Fall 2022)

• The University will pay 40% of the total cost of any student-only optional dental plans made available to all students through the University.

• A freeze on all existing fees and no new fees for academic year 2020 – 2021

• Language which provides additional protections for students in the College of Engineering, requiring that the College may not terminate a graduate worker’s ½ Teaching Assistantship after the loss of a Research Assistantship without first offering them an alternative ½ Research Assistantship.

• The University wanted a hard funding limit of 2 years for Masters students and 5 years for PhD students. We were able to bargain for funding extensions to be granted at the approval of the student’s Dean.

• Mandates that graduate students must be given written performance evaluations with concrete, measurable improvements provided to the Assistant as appropriate. Adequate time will be provided to the Assistant to implement these improvements.

• The University will make reasonable efforts to ensure that no Graduate Assistant will suffer a delay in pay due to delays in the processing of contracts.

• Specified language to indicate that the workweek is 18 hours per week full-time and 9 hours per week part-time. If a supervisor or Graduate Assistant would like to modify hours hours (e.g. work extra hours one week and reduce hours another week), it must be discussed between both supervisor and Graduate Assistant

• The University accepts responsibility to reimburse a Graduate Student for materials required to complete Teaching and Research duties, such as textbooks and necessary travel.

• Won the right to accept and partake in part-time employment outside the University (defined as 15 hours/week or less) without the need to seek permission from a supervisor. Outside employment at a higher number of hours/week must still be approved by a Graduate Assistant’s supervisor. All employment must still be disclosed to a supervisor, in order to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

If you have any questions about any of these contract wins, please feel free to reach out: geo@uml.edu