GOLD-UE Bargaining Update

Dear Guarini community,  

I write to update you on our April 18 bargaining session with GOLD-UE. Graduate students play a vital role in our academic mission, and we are making every effort to reach a fair and equitable contract as soon as possible. At this most recent bargaining session, we continued to discuss compensation (stipend) and other economic and non-economic articles. Despite some very encouraging recent progress, we did not reach any new tentative agreements on April 18. 

Below is a detailed overview of Dartmouth's proposals on a range of issues and what the union is asking for. These discussions are about enhancements to graduate students' existing pay and benefits, which already provide a stipend, medical insurance, full tuition remission, a child care subsidy, medical leave, and more. Additional information, including Dartmouth's economic proposals are available in our FAQ.

Compensation - Stipend

At the April 11 session, Dartmouth proposed a strong compensation counter offer, and it remains on the table for GOLD-UE's consideration. GOLD-UE continues to propose compensation that is higher than at any of our peers and made no movement toward compromise. Dartmouth's offer increases first-year stipends by 17.5% to $47,000, which is well within the range of the stipends paid by our peer institutions to their graduate students who teach and perform research.  Dartmouth's stipend offer provides for a guaranteed annual increase of 3%, or the 12-month percentage change in the CPI-W in the prior calendar year, whichever is larger. The CPI-W calculation includes, among other items, the cost of housing, transportation, and food.

Retirement

Dartmouth believes its current offer – which allows GOLD-UE workers to make voluntary contributions to Dartmouth's Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA) without employer matching – is fair and appropriate.  It also aligns with what other institutions offer graduate students who teach and conduct research. GOLD-UE's demand – for Dartmouth to match 100% of an employee's voluntary contributions to the SRA, up to $3,000 in total matching funds, plus pay a $1,000 annual contribution – exceeds both the staff benefit and what is offered to graduate students at other institutions.

Additional Discussions

• Tuition and Fees. The parties discussed tuition and fees, but did not reach an agreement.  Dartmouth currently provides tuition remission (valued at $84,912), credits the health access fee and the international student fee, and has eliminated the fee for graduate students.

• Economic Assistance. In response to a demand from GOLD-UE for financial support for a variety of individual expenses, Dartmouth re-proposed the creation of an employee relief fund that would benefit all students in the bargaining unit, in recognition that not every student can benefit from funds narrowly targeted to specific uses. This flexible fund would provide an initial allocation of $150,000 that would increase by $10,000 per contract year. It would be available to all members in need of financial assistance related to any of the following: 
  • Care for children or other dependents
  • Transportation or transportation-related expenses
  • Heating and essential utilities
  • Rent
  • Required visa fees and/or airfare for international students when required to travel overseas for visa processing and renewal.

• Medical Benefits. GOLD-UE proposed its members be added to staff dental and vision plans at no cost to members. However, GOLD-UE members currently receive dental and vision benefits through the medical benefits package GOLD-UE members receive as students, including pediatric dental and vision benefits. GOLD-UE medical benefits are currently valued at $4,123 per year.
  Discussions also continued on the Dartmouth-proposed graduate student employee-support funds that would cover medical expenses for both graduate students and their dependents. GOLD-UE re-proposed that its members receive short-term disability to provide additional medical and parental leave. The parties discussed that GOLD-UE members currently have available medical leave under the Time Away for Medical Reasons (TAMR) policy and parental leave under the Child Accommodation Policy as full-time Dartmouth students.

• Dependent Care. The parties discussed how Dartmouth can best continue to support GOLD-UE members with children. GOLD-UE again proposed that (unlike what it offers any other faculty or staff employee) Dartmouth should pay the full cost of childcare for graduate students at the Dartmouth College Child Care Center (DCCCC) or elsewhere if they are unable to go to DCCCC.  Dartmouth instead has proposed a graduate student employee dependent-support fund that would reimburse dependents' medical expenses, in addition to the employee relief fund to help with dependent care costs.  An additional increase in the existing child care stipend was proposed as well. 

• Leaves of Absence/Time Off.  Discussion continued on the details of these provisions, including clarifying language and other aspects of what would be included in a potential tentative agreement.

• Management rights, Union Security, and No Strike/No Lockout. Dartmouth and GOLD-UE continue to discuss these non-economic provisions, but have not reached tentative agreements.  

Moving Forward

Dartmouth continues to prioritize the academic continuity and progress of all students, whether they are undergraduate, graduate, or professional students. As we do this, we remain deeply committed to finding common ground and reaching a mutually beneficial agreement with GOLD-UE by the end of the spring term. To that end, Dartmouth and GOLD-UE have added two additional bargaining sessions in May. Upcoming sessions are on April 25, May 10, and May 16.

I will provide additional updates following those meetings. An overview and FAQs about graduate unions, negotiations, Dartmouth's economic proposal, and a potential strike are available on the provost's website. 

Sincerely,
David Kotz
Provost