Yesterday was the third bargaining session in the effort to negotiate staffing within the EECS/DS Department. We were joined by Chris Stanich, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Financial Planning, and had the opportunity to ask him a few questions surrounding staffing and finances. Below are a few key points that were discussed in the meeting:
Key Points:
- Possibility of the Creation of a New “Hybrid” Role. In the meeting, concerns over the misclassification of readers and tutors taking on responsibilities restricted to the uGSI/GSI role led to a discussion over the potential of creating a new role that allows for more flexibility in the duties these roles have traditionally taken on.
- The Role of the Pipeline. The existence of a pipeline hiring model, in which individuals will move up within a course starting as an Academic Intern, for example, and working their way up through the Reader and Tutor position with the end goal of TA or Head TA was discussed. There was a discussion on the effectiveness of this model and how the “pipeline” may be preventing some students from joining staff, especially from underrepresented backgrounds.
- Q and A Session with Chris Stanich, Associate Vice Chancellor for Financial Planning. Following a general recap of previous bargaining meetings, there was a Q and A Session with Chris Stanich in which questions surrounding fee remission in relation to financial aid, the existence of similar staffing crises in other departments, and whether or not any attempts from the central campus to address the EECS/DS Staffing Crisis were discussed. It was made clear by the workers that, while the EECS and DS departments are clearly in an exceptional situation with respect to staffing, no other department in the UC system has exceptions that allow for minimum rights and benefits below what is stated in the contract. While we are open to negotiating over issues of cost per student, any changes would require similarly large changes to improve staffing and course quality. Although not all of the questions received an immediate answer, the bargaining team is working on drafting up a list of questions to send to the Vice Chancellor to have definite answers in the near future.
- Starting to Draft a Proposal. The session then shifted to a discussion on what the next steps would be in addressing some of the concerns that have been raised in the previous meetings. It was discussed that a proposal that outlined the specific costs in collaboration with the financial analysts at the college and department level would be the next step in determining how to move forward with bargaining negotiations and where the funds to support these changes would come from.
- The ASE Role in Managerial/Hiring Work. Conversations surrounding the role undergraduate ASEs play in managerial roles such as hiring and whether or not they should hold this responsibility were discussed. Concerns were raised surrounding the potential of the overworking of students holding these positions as well as the relationship between ASEs and the integrity of the hiring process.
- Faculty Experience. The session also included a discussion on the role faculty plays in teaching in the department. Finding a balance between faculty and instructors of record fully taking on their role as supervisors and agreeing on staffing levels that ensure that faculty are able to do their job without being burned out will be a subject of continued discussion.
- Agenda for Next Time (Friday 2/24). A tentative schedule for the following bargaining meeting was created beginning with a discussion on how courses are run specifically in the DS department and whether or not there were any practices known to reduce overwork that could be applied in an EECS setting. There also was a discussion over the creation of specific concepts and concrete staffing numbers that could find their way into a final agreement
Moving Forward:
- The next bargaining meeting will take place 10-11:30 AM Friday 2/24 in Soda 380 and on Zoom. We hope to see you there.
- Please fill out this Staff Anonymous Survey (it’ll only take 3-5 minutes) as soon as possible to help us collect information on important topics and issues within the department like enrollment, ASE workload, and diversity and staffing.
- Please take and share our EECS + DS Student Experience Survey with the students in your courses to help us present your stories and experiences as a student in the EECS Department with the University.
- If you are not a part of the EECS Staffing Negotiations Slack and are interested in being more involved, join the slack here.
In solidarity,
Jalen Gooch
uGSI, CS 10