Stony Brook RA Union

1) Grad Union Contract Comparison

One of our colleagues has prepared a spreadsheet comparing grad union contracts. Please take a look at the data. You can see that in every instance the annual percentage raises, just one of many gains, more than compensates for union dues. Together, we will work to achieve the best contract possible. And remember, we pay no dues until we approve a contract. The contract vote will come after we’ve negotiated a tentative agreement with the RF. When we vote to form a union this Dec. 5th we still pay no dues until we approve a contract that brings in more benefit than we’d pay in dues.

2) Cold Spring Harbor Lab

There is some unfortunate news which also points to why we need a union. Just last month the administration at Cold Spring Harbor Lab announced that they were taking away our colleagues’ health insurance and putting them on Stony Brook University’s undergraduate plan, which is far inferior.. This move will be devastating, especially to those students who have dependents. Some are even expecting children. The reality is that the same thing could happen to us without the protection of a legally binding union contract. Without a union the administration is able to make unilateral changes to our wages and benefits. With a union such changes cannot be made without first negotiating with us.

3) SUNY TAs/GAs and Health Insurance

The reason we have health insurance at all is because of the TA/GA union. In 1994 the first contract for the Graduate Student Employee Union (GSEU) was approved by all TAs/GAs and the major improvement was health insurance. Before the existence of the union, graduate students only health insurance was the undergrad plan. For years before the formation of GSEU the Research Foundation (RF) was saying they didn’t have the money to provide health insurance. But after the TAs/GAs won their health insurance, the RF started providing health insurance as well.

In Solidarity,

The Stony Brook RA Organizing Committee
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A response to a recent question about the FICA tax:

Dear Stony Brook RA Union,

“If we get a union and they list us as employees (by giving us vacation time or sick days) we are then going to be charged FICA (social security) which is 7.65% of our paycheck. The IRS charges this and the union could do little to change it. So if you add to the 2% union dues we will lose 9.65% of our paycheck.”

Is this true?

No. Here are the Facts about FICA:

(1) TAs/GAs are employees and union members who are not paying FICA taxes, and neither would we. All full-time students in NY are exempt according to the Student FICA Exception.

(2) RAs have been considered employees according to the National Labor Relations Board since 2002. And just recently the NLRB in Brooklyn affirmed this and ruled that RAs at Stony Brook are indeed employees (in addition to being students.) It was the RF that was essentially trying to change the law, not the union.

(3) The RF has no control over tax law.

In summary, voting in a union will change nothing in relation to FICA tax. This information has been double checked by our lawyers as well to insure it is correct and that indeed we will not be responsible for any additional taxes. The RF is just becoming desperate at this point in an attempt to scare us.

Hello, here is some important news about dues and potential contract negotiations. Just to clear up any misconceptions about these things it is important to note:

- No dues are paid until a contract is approved and voted on by Research Assistants.

- After the union is formed, no dues are paid. After we begin negotiating the contract with the Research Foundation, still no dues are paid. Finally, Research Assistants vote on the contract. Only if the contract is approved by RAs, will any dues be paid.

- Only vote for a contract that gives you more benefits than dues. It is our goal to negotiate a contract which will give benefits to all RAs in every department extending beyond the cost of dues.

We’re organizing for our fair share

As we better understand the Research Foundation, our ability to make real gains at the bargaining table becomes more real. The Research Foundation might paint a picture that things are as good as they can get, yet according to a Nov. 16, 2008 Albany Times Union Article

the Research Foundation is harboring at least $100 million….and Foundation officials refuse to release a list of people on the payroll, which would include friends and relatives of prominent politicians and several people working in foreign nations with salaries as high as $380,000 a year.

In these times of economic uncertainty, the RF has a surplus! It’s only fair that we have a say in how that surplus is spent, rather than leave it up to a few people to make all the decisions to enrich themselves. Furthermore, in times where there may not be a surplus, we should also have a say in how decisions that affect us are made.

When we vote to form a union on December 5th, we’ll have a legal right to negotiate directly with the Research Foundation, and together we can work to get more money for ourselves and our PIs. While we are all busy pursuing our degrees, together we can pool our resources to pursue a raise, eliminate our fees, and promote fairness. Join us in voting Union Yes! Finally, remember, we won’t pay a cent in union dues until we approve a contract that benefits us.

Read the full article Nov. 16, 2008 article at Albany Times Union

In Solidarity,

Stony Brook RA Organizing Committee

FACT: According to a recent NYS Audit, the Research Foundation spent $137,500 in “discretionary” housing payments to two campus presidents who already receive free housing from SUNY. ¹

FACT: The Research Foundation awarded 11 contracts totaling $2.4 million without following competitive procurement procedures. ²

FACT: The NYS audit criticized the Research Foundation for spending at least $600,000 on a lobbying firm. ³ Much of the payments were made without even an explanation.

FACT: The RF made “questionable” payroll, paying two employees “beyond the limits allowed by State law.”⁴

FACT: The RF spent funds for tickets to the opera, ballet, circus, and puppet shows. ⁵

FACT: The RF spent upwards of $650,000 on at least one consulting firm at Stony Brook that “was not properly procured.”⁶

FACT: In order to try and bust the union, the RF hired a notorious union busting law firm, Bond, Schoneck and King. Union busters like these typically charge up to $800 per hour. The RF engaged two attorneys. We estimate they spent tens of thousands of RF funds on busting the union.

FACT: In the 1980s and 1990s, the RF spent years claming they did not have the funds to pay us health benefits. A few weeks after the TAs and GAs negotiated employer-provided benefits in 1993, the RF “found” the money to offer health benefits to RAs.

FACT: According to the 2007 Research Foundation’s Annual report last year, they made $43.5 million from their patents and investments.⁷

All of these facts are supported by an
audit conducted by NYS Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi. This independent report was highly critical of the Research Foundation’s spending decisions.

BOTTOM LINE:
The Research Foundation has consistently spent millions on questionable no-bid contracts, on union busting, on housing allowances for SUNY Presidents, and on excessive salary for their executives. With a union we have the power to shine a light on their budget and make them accountable.

The RF can afford to negotiate with us!
¹ Hevesi, Alan G. A Report by the New York State Office of the State Comptroller. Research Foundation of the State University of New York: Administrative and Discretionary Costs. 2004-S-13. p22. Accessed electronically Nov. 16, 2008. URL: http://osc.state.ny.us/audits/allaudits/093005/04s13.pdf
^3-4 Hevesi, A.G. p4
⁵ Hevesi, A.G. p22
⁶ Hevesi, A.G. p20
⁷ Research Foundation’s 2007 Annual Report. Page 1 and page 28.

As you know, our union election is set for Friday, December 5. We want the Research Foundation to stop wasting money on union busting tactics and let the election go forward. Add your voice by clicking on this link to send an e-mail to Research Foundation executives.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/sbra/3wbuk359q7tbkx6i?

In Solidarity,

The RA Organizing Committee

November 10, 2008

We have just learned that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled in our favor and that RAs are indeed employees and entitled to have a union!! After weeks of unnecessary delays, the Research Foundation’s case was thrown out of administrative court who ruled in favor of the RAs who wish to unionize.

This is in agreement with the NLRB’s 2007 decision that unions are indeed employees and have the right to form unions if they wish. Here is a copy of that decision.

The next step in the process is for us to officially vote in the union. The election is set for Friday December 5th. The logistics are still being set as to when and where.

We urge the Research Foundation to not waste any more research money on the union busting lawyers and to not appeal this decision.

In Solidarity,

The Stony Brook RA Organizing Committee

It looks like an election is around the corner, and the Research Foundation (RF) is getting nasty. They’ve been following the union busters’ playbook by starting real nice, and getting increasingly more aggressive. They’re attempting to keep us divided because when we join together in a union they must negotiate with us in good faith, and can’t just dictate terms to us.
 
We’ve already addressed most of the RF’s claims in Myths vs. Reality: The Truth about Read the rest of this entry »

The Research Foundation (RF) continues to waste research money on expensive union busting lawyers. We estimate that for every hour their firm charges the RF, five RAs could have their transportation and technology fees waived for an entire year.

The public testimony of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearing in Brooklyn has concluded. Now both sides get Read the rest of this entry »