#sgeu

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Syracuse University union drive: Grad workers denounce tax plan

By Minnie Bruce Pratt

Worker outrage and organizing was the order of the day on Nov. 30, as some 150 members of Syracuse Graduate Employees United and their supporters rallied on Syracuse University’s central quad. SGEU was speaking out both for the right to a union and against the current federal tax bill that was on the verge of passing the U.S. Senate.

SGEU was making its first public announcement of a drive to unionize all graduate teaching assistants (GAs and TAs), research assistants (RAs) and fellows at SU. After the SU administration tried to take employee health insurance away from grad student workers in spring 2015, many began to meet and reach out to other student workers to build a union.

At the rally, SGEU declared its affiliation with Service Employees Local 200 United. This local represents approximately 900 building and grounds, dining services and library employees at Syracuse University.

[saskteachers-blog]

It took two years of bargaining for CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU to settle their contract with only a 9.5 per cent general wage increase.

It took two years for the Saskatchewan Medical Association to negotiate an 11 per cent fee increase.

The Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan union is currently on rotating strikes after two years of failed contract negations.

Mobile Link

[saskteachers-blog]

And those concerned about gender equality in the province should consider that, in 2010 male workers earned on average $22.71 per hour while female workers made $17.78 per hour -a gap of almost 28 per cent.

However, men covered by a collective agreement averaged $27.73 per hour while women covered by a collective agreement averaged $24.56 per hour -a gap of 13 per cent.