Graduate workers will soon vote on a successful proposed contract stagnate after a strike a week of anticipation — a step forward in their year-long negotiating efforts.

The bargaining committee of the Stanford Graduate Workers Union (SGWU) has recommended that members ratify a contract that affirms historic gains such as a nondiscrimination policy and financial security, despite wage increases that have fallen short of original demands.

Union members can vote to ratify the contract for a week starting Saturday. To be instituted, the contract needs the vote of a majority of members, who must sign a new card to remain part of the union.

If approved, the proposed contract would take effect immediately and expire in August 2027. The Daily breaks down the term of the agreement and reviews the union’s negotiating history.

Compensation

The agreement proposes pay rise schemes that will give graduate workers a 4.75% pay rise on average in the first year of the contract.

If the contract is approved, the University’s minimum stipend for the 2024-25 academic year will increase by 6.78 percent, from $50,616 to $54,072. The stock market will grow 4.25% next fall and 3.75% in 2026.

Graduate workers on a minimum stipend could see an effective salary increase of 15.4% over the three-year contract period, while everyone above the minimum will see a 13.3% increase. This falls below the salary increases secured by graduate workers at certain peer institutions, while exceeding that of workers at Columbia and Harvard.

In September, the union proposed raising the minimum annual stipend to $68,620 – an increase of more than 35% – starting this academic year. The proposal was rejected by Stanford, which initially suggested increasing the scholarship by 3.75%. In October, Stanford proposed a 4.5 percent increase in the first year, which “wasn’t enough for us given the pressure of rising rents and the cost of living in one of the most expensive places in the country and the world.” , the negotiating committee wrote. in a previous email. The SGWU demanded a pay rise at least 14% in negotiations since Nov. 7, before the University’s decision to temporarily halt negotiations.

Housing rates

In an unprecedented move, the University has published its estimated graduate housing rates for academic year 2025-26 and academic year 2026-27 and has guaranteed that housing rate increases will not outpace graduate worker pay increases.

As published RATESthere will be a weighted average increase of 4.0% in graduate housing rent next year and a weighted average increase of 3.5% in 2026. For a single student currently paying $1,960 per month to live in a residence standard in Escondido Village, for example, rent will increase to about $2,038 during the 2025-26 academic year.

Guaranteed financing

A second letter to the union confirmed the University’s 12-month funding guarantee for the first five years of the Ph.D. student diplomas.

The agreement marks the first time the University has released details of the funding guarantee, according to the negotiating committee. The agreement also allows Ph.D. students to set up a meeting with Stanford to address academic issues and ensure they receive the funding they were promised.

Non-discrimination clauses

The negotiated contract included a number of “groundbreaking improvements in protections against harassment and discrimination,” the bargaining committee wrote, such as guarantees to involve union representatives in preliminary Title IX meetings with the University. According to the statement, SGWU is the first graduate workers’ union in the country to secure such protection.

The university previously had suggested to exclude sexual harassment as advertising from the contract. However, in the proposed contract, the University promised to allow graduate workers in Title IX proceedings to request that the Title IX coordinator or their designee first meet with union representatives to agree on appropriate support measures, according to the release. Graduate students have previously raised concerns regarding the failure of the Title IX grievance process to address sexual harassment by teachers.

The contract also provides that any graduate worker may choose to select a union member as a support person in investigative interviews related to Title IX proceedings.

If the union finds that the University has violated either the anti-discrimination clause or the anti-abuse clause in the contract, it reserves the right to file a grievance on behalf of the graduate worker who was the subject of the violation. The union and the claimant can jointly request a meeting with the University if additional support is needed during the proceedings.

Additional benefits

The agreement also provides for a one-time lump sum of $1,200 toward the international Ph.D. students to be used for any government fees associated with maintaining their visa or other costs related to their international status. The amount applies to current and future Ph.D. students and will be paid within 30 days of the international Ph.D. students’ matriculation.

The university said its emergency aid program will cover costs related to vision, dental, chronic medical conditions and mental health treatment.

The Caltrain GoPass — a discounted annual unlimited pass for Bay Area transit — will be redistributed to graduate workers who commute to campus each day and is guaranteed to last for the duration of the contract.

A year of negotiations

Negotiations efforts began in late October 2023, when the SGWU carriage the first meeting to present its negotiating platform, which aimed to raise wages and protect workers. The language contract proposal for the SGWU’s bargaining platform included clauses on workplace safety, affordable housing and healthcare, anti-discrimination policies and job security.

A proposed statement of solidarity with Palestine included in the platform sparked debate within the union over the SGWU’s role in taking a stand on the Israel-Gaza war. The statement on solidarity with Palestinian trade unions was finally ratified in solidarity with Palestinian trade unions with 65% approval on 1 November 2023.

SGWU carriage a rally in White Plaza the next day—when negotiation proposal it was overwhelmingly ratified by union members – marking the start of contract negotiations with the University. The proposal included a provision providing contract coverage for bursaries, whose exclusion from the SGWU was one of the main rallying points for union protesters.

Following the demonstration, SGWU’s bargaining committee engaged in the first round of negotiations with the university, where it presented a non-economic platform on expanding employee benefits that did not include wages or stipends.

After six months of negotiations on the non-economic agreement, SGWU approved its economic negotiation platform in May with 98% approval. The economic platform he asked “an immediate and substantial pay raise” for all graduate workers, support for affordable housing and improved transportation and health benefits. The platform was approved after a lengthy feedback and review period open to all union members. The union argued that Stanford stipends are far less effective than similar institutions when adjusted for the cost of living in Santa Clara County.

Negotiations between the bargaining committee and the University continued throughout the summer term. In a statement on October 2, the University he stated that the SGWU’s demands from the September 27 and October 1 bargaining sessions were “unreasonable” and instead offered a 3% pay rise. SGWU members argued that the proposal was not enough to counter the rising costs of meal plans and the rent prices set by Stanford.

On the same day, SGWU members collected and signed strike pledges, stating that they will cease work if the University continues to refuse the union’s minimum bargaining demands. On October 31, SGWU launch a two-point ballot urging union members to vote in favor of a strike authorization measure and to disapprove the October 28 University. proposed contract. Union members were due to strike on Tuesday if the University did not “adequately improve (its) offer”, according to the SGWU.

After a one-week voting period, the SGWU voted on strike authorization it passed on Nov. 6 with 89 percent approval, and members rejected the University’s contract on Oct. 28 with 94 percent. The strike authorization passage allowed the bargaining committee to call a strike at their discretion.

On Nov. 7, Provost Jenny Martinez and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs Stacey Bent sent an email to all students announcing a break in negotiations with the union after recent bargaining sessions.

Negotiations broke off because Stanford said it could offer no more than a 3.38 percent raise to all graduate workers and a 4.5 percent salary increase in the first year of the contract, according to the bargaining committee. The SGWU Bargaining Committee argued that this offer would be inadequate in line with their economic comparison chartand vowed to strike on Tuesday if the University does not make “serious moves” on key bargaining issues such as pay increases, non-discrimination, benefits and guaranteed funding.

Negotiations resumed on Monday, which the SGWU wrote was due to support from teachers, students, graduate workers and other employees. convinced The university should return to the negotiation table. The SGWU initially postponed the strike until Wednesday following the University’s “movement on a number of key issues” on Monday. The strike was finally called off late Tuesday, and the bargaining committee announced that the tentative agreement would be put to a vote in two days.

At a union town hall Thursday night attended by dozens of graduate workers, some members of the public questioned the bargaining committee about the proposed wage rate and the cost of union dues. The negotiating committee maintained its support for ratification of the interim agreement.

“With three years to consolidate our position, build our strength and prepare for the next round of negotiations, the fight is just beginning,” the negotiating committee wrote to members in their panel. recommendation of the contract.

Linda Liu contributed reporting.