Meeting for the first time since a controversy surrounding graduate students’ collective bargaining rights erupted last month, Graduate Student Government officials sat down with local American Federation of Teachers leaders Tuesday to discuss implementing a meet-and-confer agreement.
Tensions between the two groups rose after University System of Maryland officials negotiated an alternative to graduate students’ collective bargaining rights with Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office. Graduate students were preparing to testify in favor of a bill that granted them unionization rights when they learned it had unexpectedly been pulled from the state Senate in lieu of meet-and-confer rights, and AFT officials were included in the deal.
Although graduate students were upset the AFT left them out of discussions, they said they are still considering using meet and confer. Meet and confer allows graduate students to negotiate with administrators with union representation present, although they still cannot technically unionize. If they do use meet and confer, graduate students will have to choose what union to represent them. University officials would be required to hear student issues but would be under no obligation to resolve them.
At Tuesday’s meeting, graduate leaders collaborated with AFT officials to discuss how the agreement would be implemented. Both groups said their primary goal in meeting was to figure out a system that would work best for the university’s graduate students within the confines of the agreement.
“We’re trying to figure out what [the meet-and-confer agreement] means,” said GSG Vice President for Committee Affairs Blessing Okoroafor. “The language is pretty vague.”
GSG leaders have not yet made a decision about whether they will use the provisions allotted in the agreement. Graduate students said more work needs to be done to evaluate the agreement as it pertains to the entire graduate community, although they are confident the agreement’s significance will be more than just symbolic in their fight for collective bargaining rights.
“I think [graduate students] will pursue any measure, whether it’s with meet and confer or collective bargaining or co-governance, to see their issues discussed and maybe come to an agreement,” said Okoroafor.
Although the meet-and-confer process was regarded as a small victory, GSG and AFT officials are still aiming for unionization. At the March 16 GSG assembly meeting, graduate student representatives passed a resolution calling for the legalization of collective bargaining rights almost unanimously.
“This is not going to be the end of it,” said AFT organizer Todd Reynolds. “We’re all working for full collective bargaining rights – the meet and confer is a part of the process in showing that unionization is the right answer for the system and College Park.”
blasey@umdbk.com
