GUARANTEED FUNDING

• Guarantees 5 years of funding for PhDs

• Masters students on stipend guaranteed funding for the expected length of their program

• Transitional Funding - the Union may grieve violations of the Guarini Transitional Funding Support Policy 

TIME OFF

• 11 Vacation Days

• 9 Personal Days

• Flexible scheduling for short-term sick leave

• 3 Days paid Immigration Leave when traveling to maintain status 

• All Dartmouth Holidays plus 2 floating holidays

  • Parents of kids under 13 receive 4 floating holidays

• Provides continuation of Medical Insurance for up to 4 quarters if a member is on medical leave (TAMR)

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE

• $1.2k one-time payment to international grads to help offset SEVIS/visa fees 

• $50k (+$5k/year) international employee support fund for reimbursement for additional fees/travel expenses when renewing visa

• Guarantees at least one free parking lot within walking distance of campus

• Access to Employee Assistance Program (mental health counseling; consultation benefits to provide legal support, assistance finding child/elder care, help with moving, and other life events; healthcare counseling)

TUITION & FEES

• Tuition Remittance Guaranteed

• Gives 60 days notice for any new fees, allowing time to grieve and/or bargain over the effects of the new fee

• Dartmouth may not implement new fees to claw back raises

MEDICAL BENEFITS

• Maintains full coverage for DSGHP

• Free Dental Coverage

• $125k Medical Support Fund (+$10k/year) - for reimbursement of any medical expenses not covered by insurance

• $75k Dependent Medical support fund (+$10k/year) - for reimbursement of any dependent medical expenses not covered by insurance (including dependent medical premiums)

• 40% of medical premiums paid for all dependents (~$2.4k/yr)

• Paid Medical leave under TAMR for grant of up to 60% of 2 months stipend - ($4700)

CHILDCARE 

• $200k childcare support fund (+$10k/year)

• $5k dependent stipend for children under 6 (up from $3k)

• If 2 Members are having a child together, they split 24 weeks of leave instead of 12

• Access to DCCCC or equivalent in the Future with Bi-annual meeting to discuss progress

RETIREMENT

• Access to employee SRA

COMPENSATION

• $47k/year + 3% or CPI-W COLA (17.5% raise in Year 1 with a cost of living adjustment based on national inflation or 3% raise/year, whichever is higher)

• $21/hr +$0.50/year for hourly workers

• First universal COLA in any grad contract

• Stipend will be $50k by Year 3

• Dartmouth will not give partial assignments to reduce wages

DISCIPLINE & DISCHARGE

• Requires that any disciplinary action taken may only be for “just cause”

  • Just cause requires fair notice of work rules and their penalties; due process, including a fair investigation; equal treatment; and consideration of all relevant circumstances. It is arguably the most important part of any union contract.

• Guarantees the right to have a steward present for disciplinary interviews

• Our contract goes further than any other grad contract so far in combating the specious claim that work-related activities are also “academic” and, therefore, not protected by just cause. Even so, expect that there will be many grievances/disputes over what is and isn’t considered “academic” discipline (see WORKLOAD).

WORKLOAD

• Defines the job duties for Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants

• Provides very broad definitions, affirming that virtually everything we do for Dartmouth is employment-related and NOT “academic”

• Gives means to change conditions of overwork

NONDISCRIMINATION

• Guarantees protections to all protected classes outlined by the government as well as caste discrimination and union membership

• Union representative/steward may be present at all stages of harassment/discrimination process

• When reporting to Title IX, members are entitled to status updates after 30 days and then every 15 days following.

• Members may start a grievance at arbitration if unsatisfied with TItle IX or similar body ruling

INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Grants access to the Student Accessibility Services office for grads seeking ADA accommodations; requires Dartmouth to offer accessibility parking passes online (i.e., without requiring frequent in-person visits to the parking office).

• Prohibits Dartmouth from dead-naming or misgendering grad employees and requires access to gender-affirming restrooms.

• Establishes baseline requirements for lactation rooms and grants that access to lactation rooms will be granted in advance rather than requiring nursing parents to track down a key every time they express breastmilk

HEALTH & SAFETY

• Dartmouth can now be held to OSHA

• Members cannot not be required to work in conditions that pose imminent danger

• Members covered by worker’s comp 

INTERNATIONAL EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

• In addition to current practices, once per term, OVIS will offer sessions on post-Dartmouth options such as H1-B

• Dartmouth will not disclose or report immigration status of current or former employees until legally obligated to do so

• If denied entry to the US, OVIS will supply necessary documents within 5 days

• Dartmouth must make reasonable efforts to accommodate employees who are unable to enter the US for an extended period

PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS

• Dartmouth shall provide access to the workspace, desk space, facilities, equipment, materials, high-performance computing, internet access, software, licenses, subscriptions, memberships to professional networks, and other network services required by Dartmouth to perform assigned duties.

• Treatment as employees under Business Expense Policy, meaning no more long waits for reimbursement, can get conference lodging paid in advance

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & RESEARCH MISCONDUCT

• Grads rights equivalent to students rather than faculty or employees (student rights actually grant more to the individual since staff/faculty rights presume that Dartmouth has ownership of IP)

• Subject to same policy as everyone else for IP and Misconduct

• Protects against retaliation for asserting IP rights or making good-faith claims of Research Misconduct

TRAINING

• Guarantees grads will receive adequate training to complete their work.

• Training requirement helps protect against discipline for failing to meet expectations

ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION

• Minimum 21 calendar days’ written notice given prior to commencement of an assignment - for assignments that cannot be finalized this far in advance, Dartmouth will provided a revised, updated notice as soon as possible 

• Notification will provide general duties/responsibilities/expectations which will protect employees from being asked/required to do tasks outside of the scope of work as agreed

• Members may request accommodations (does not require a request under the ADA) based on their availability to work at certain times of day and/or ability to complete assignment expectations. Dartmouth must make reasonable efforts to accommodate requests.

AGREEMENT

• Establishes that this is a union contract between GOLD-UE, the National UE, and Dartmouth

RECOGNITION

• Establishes GOLD-UE as the exclusive collective bargaining representative for compensation, working conditions, and conditions of employment

• Includes all grad workers performing research and teaching services for Dartmouth, including “fellows.”

BARGAINING UNIT INFORMATION

• Deals with limitations on a union’s normal right to request information about union members. Limitations in higher education derive from the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) which prohibits the release of non-directory information without student consent. Information release forms will allow the union to request necessary information for grievances/contract enforcement and mid-contract bargaining.

UNION RIGHTS

• Guarantees union representatives the right to access and hold meetings in campus facilities and to use Dartmouth-sponsored email for union communications

• Grants the union office space, permits use of campus bulletin boards, and provides union leave for representational activities during normal hours and to attend conferences.

• One hour of union orientation time will be given to GOLD representatives during orientation events at the start of every Fall term

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

• Creates the process by which grad workers–supported by union stewards–may initiate formal complaints of contract violations (e.g., unfair disciplinary action, denial of contractually guaranteed benefits).

• 30 days to initiate a grievance, unless it involves claims of harassment and/or discrimination (for which there are not statutes of limitations)

• Process terminates with binding third-party arbitration

SEVERABILITY

• States if one article of the contract is found to be illegal, the rest of the contract still applies

UNION SECURITY

• Full Union Shop with dues check-off, meaning all grads must be members and pay dues, which can be deducted by payroll. 

MANAGEMENT RIGHTS

• Grants management authority over academic matters

• Maintains right to effects bargaining over changes to working conditions

NO STRIKE/NO LOCKOUT

• Union cannot strike during the term of the contract

• Dartmouth cannot lock us out during the term of the contract

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

• Maintain ability to negotiate changes during the term of the contract

DURATION

• Contract in effect 7/1/24 - 6/30/27