Enforceable new contract rights

Workers can bargain stronger protections and rights more closely tailored to their working conditions with a collective bargaining agreement. For example, Postdocs at the University of California bargained remedies that keep a Postdoc subjected to discrimination or harassment on a good career path rather than just receiving a financial settlement and leaving the university with or without a solid career trajectory moving forward.

Further, workers can bargain an independent mechanism to enforce their rights through the neutral, independent, and binding process of arbitration in addition to whatever dispute resolution mechanisms may exist under statutory or other regulatory schemes. Arbitration would not only be independent of the emplopyers’ administration, but also be free for workers and likely take far less time than other ways of resolving disputes.

 

UC Academic Student Employees

In their contract, Academic Student Employees at the University of California have won a number of contract provisions that improve equity at UC by creating enforceable, new rights and protections, such as:

  • non-discrimination in employment, including strong protections against sexual harassment and racial discrimination (Article 20);

  • reasonable accommodations for ASEs with disabilities (new as of 2018, Article 23);

  • the right to participate in campus childcare, plus childcare subsidies (Article 4); and

  • parental leave, including the continuation of health insurance benefits while on leave (Under Article 17, Leaves).

UC Postdocs

UAW 5810, the Union of Postdocs at the University of California, fought for and won a contract provision providing real protection and enforcement against sexual harassment and assault. UC Postdocs are the first Postdocs in the US to have guaranteed paid parental leave at full pay for all parents – an important provision they won that promotes gender equity at UC.

UW Postdocs

Postdocs at the University of Washington just won their first-ever contract that contains strong protections from sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination, retaliation, and inappropriate workplace behavior while providing for interim measures when a Postdoc files a complaint. Taken together, their contract incorporates multiple recommendations of the NASEM report.