For International Women’s Day, our union sat at the bargaining table and honored the legacy of women who have fought for labor rights and justice for all. We highlighted the legacy of labor activist Lucy Parsons, a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) and we encourage folks to read more about Parsons’ contributions and activism.

We also submitted a proposal to OSU management on enrollment minimums for maintaining employment. Currently, graduate employees must be enrolled in a minimum of 12-credits per term to maintain their assistantship position. Our union, after hearing from a large number of members, proposed this requirement be changed from 12-credits to 9-credits per term.

In response, OSU expressed concerns about the potential impact to their state funding and claimed that the more enrollment hours they can show to the state, the more state funding they receive. We had a lengthy conversation about this topic, and we anticipate we will have more discussions on this matter at the table.

We requested information from OSU about state funding models they look at, and we were referred to the Student Success Completion Model (SSCM). As a labor union representing teachers and researchers, we are a force which pressures the state to better fund and serve higher education. As such, our union will continue to work at both the university and state level to improve access and affordability for all to attend higher education.

Our upcoming bargaining session is Thursday, March 15 from 12:00-1:00 and we intend to submit proposals with financial impacts for all graduate employees. Be sure to attend, bring your work, bring your family, and be a part of the process!