UE Local 506 hosted several UE grad worker locals for a training and strategizing meet up in mid-March. Grad workers from public and private universities at different stages of organization (fight for first contract, having a successful strike threat, going into compensation bargaining) got together to learn from each other and from other UE locals including Sargent and Refresco workers (Local 243 and 115, respectively).
The grad workers spent an afternoon workshopping how to use a grievance fight as a campus-wide organizing tool. An important takeaway was to use grievances strategically. It would be unwise to fill out many grievances without having a strong backing from union stewards and without considering how to use grievances to build a larger fight. Ideally, these grievance campaigns also teach the employer to respect the official process laid out in the contract and the union or face the consequences.
Additionally, grad workers got the chance to sit in on Local 506’s general membership meeting (with homemade pizza from the strike kitchen!) and meeting beers (from the union hall keg!). Seeing the morale and spirit of the 506 membership was inspiring, and gives us a goal of where we want our memberships to be in the future.
We were also given a history lesson on UE from Director of Organization Mark Meinster (grad students love lectures!) and got to spend one-on-one time with Local 506 president Scott Slawson. This gave us insights on the general struggles that have been faced by unions in the past. It was notable that after the first contract, it will always be in the employer’s best interest to undermine the protections of employees' laid out in the contract as much as possible. This is much of what we have been seeing in our respective institutions, as university administrations have been reluctant to respect the grievance process, or have not been enforcing wage increases, or even something as simple as a transportation pass.
Building community and coalition across grad unions within UE is a powerful tool that can help workers across the country win bigger fights and secure more equitable workplaces. Furthermore, this meeting increased our organizing tools, which will be crucial as we continue to build recognition and respect as a local.
Locals participating in the meeting were UE Local 256 (MIT Graduate Student Union), UE Local 1105 (University of Minnesota Graduate Labor Union), UE Local 1498 (NMSU Graduate Workers United), UE Local 1466 (United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico), UE Local 1043 (Stanford Graduate Workers Union), and UE Local 300 (Cornell Graduate Students United).