8/15/10 Major Victory! Improved dental, vision coverage
We’ve had a major breakthrough in the negotiations with the Research Foundation. The RF has agreed to drastically improve our dental and vision coverage. We applaud the RF for agreeing to do this. On each of these PDFs, there is a comparison of the old plans with the new plans: Dental, Vision.
These plans went into effect on August 15th, 2010.
7/14/10 Congress letter to RF
On Wedensday July 14th, five members of the United States Congress sent a letter to the Research Foundation “regarding the fair settlement of a contract with the Stony Brook University Research Assistants.” Four of the Congresspeople sit on the powerful Appropriations Committee that allocates tax dollars to funding agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Health, and the National Science Foundation. The fifth signature is from Tim Bishop, who sits on the Education & Labor Committee, and represents the Stony Brook area.
5/26/10 Workers’ Rights Board report
On April 29th, 2010, the Workers’ Rights Board, an organization comprised of community leaders who provide a community based forum where workplace grievances can be heard, convened a hearing at Stony Brook University. The purpose of the hearing was to investigate the negotiation strategies of the Research Foundation. Below is their official report, including their recommendations.
4/30/10 Stony Brook locks out leaders, union
Stony Brook locks out leaders, union
by Claude Solnik
Published: April 30, 2010
Stony Brook University on Thursday locked out a group of high-profile Long Islanders and a local union from a meeting they had scheduled on campus to discuss a contract being negotiated with the SUNY Research Foundation.
The Communications Workers of America local 1104 was scheduled to present its views regarding a stalled contract for SUNY Research Foundation research assistants to a panel of Long Island leaders. The panelists were organized by the Workers’ Rights Board, a project of the nonprofit Long Island Jobs With Justice.
The panel included Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper, Father Bill Brisotti of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Church in Wyandanch, Victor Fusco of law firm Fusco, Brandenstein & Rada and economist Michael Crowell of the New York State Department of Labor.
4/26/10 RA Union meets NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
On Monday April 26th, 2010 representatives of the Stony Brook RA Union spoke with New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo at his fundraiser in Lloyd Harbor, LI. We informed the powerful elected official of how the RF has been dragging its feet in settling a fair contract with us while wasting hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars in various ways. It is anticipated that Cuomo will soon announce his candidacy for Governor, and that he will win by a landslide.
Pictured: Matthew Engel, Research Assistant in Biomedical Engineering and NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
3/4/10 RAs meet U.S. Senators, Congressman
On Thursday March 4th, 2010 representatives of the Stony Brook RA Union spoke with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Tim Bishop at the Long Island Federation of Labor annual dinner in Woodbury, LI. We informed the powerful elected officials of how the RF has been dragging its feet in settling a fair contract with us while wasting hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars in various ways. We provided them with this handbill.
Pictured: U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Tim Bishop, leaders from CWA 1104, and graduate students from Stony Brook University.
2/21/10 RA Union meets with local congregation
On Sunday, February 21st 2010, representatives of the Stony Brook RA Union met with the Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook located just south of campus on Nicolls Road. The meeting offered our representatives an opportunity to explain the RAs’ role within the University community, and to bring forth some of the struggles we have encountered in negotiating our first contract. The Committee has expressed enthusiasm about working with us in the future, and we promised to keep them informed on the status of the negotiations. The meeting was one of many we are having with various groups in the surrounding community in order to build support for the RA Union.
Pictured: Research Assistant in the Biomedical Engineering Department / member of the RA Bargaining Committee Kasia Sawicka, CWA 1104 Organizing Director Jim McAsey, and the Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook.
