Yesterday and Friday, ASEs again met with university representatives in the effort to negotiate staffing within the EECS/DS Department. Below are a few key points that were discussed in the meetings:
Key Points 2/24
- A new title for undergraduate TAs: Following discussion at the bargaining session, ASEs suggested creating a new job title (name TBD) for EECS/DS that would subsume the role of 8-hour uGSIs and those who are currently hired as tutors and readers but complete job duties that are meant for the uGSI series. We expressed a willingness to compromise on issues of fee remission and wages. For example, this new position could have fee remission anywhere between the current practice (40%) for 8-hour uGSIs and what is guaranteed in the contract (100%) and yearly wage increases lower than those guaranteed by the contract we won in the Spring. However, given the exceptional step of deviating from our contract, ASEs expressed the need to see substantial increases to staffing across the department before considering these changes.
- Data Science hiring: We heard from Professor Ani Adhikari about data science’s central process for selecting DS course staff. In 2020, hiring across all DS courses became the responsibility of Adhikari, who is the faculty director of pedagogy in data science. They use a combination of the standard ASE application, conversations with each course’s instructor, and systematic feedback in the form of “brief assessments” collected from previous staffs. Before 2020, Adhikari noted, there were many issues stemming from the DS staff “pipeline” where ASEs would hire and recommend their friends, which harmed diversity in the department. However, the small number of DS courses made this easier than in EECS, which has a large number of courses. She said that such a system for EECS would require major investment as it could not be handled by faculty alone. Many ASEs are interested in improving transparency and representation in the hiring process, and we will continue to investigate ways to implement this in the departments.
- Overwork protection: ASEs floated the idea of having a statement on applications, interviews, and in certain staff meetings that working over hours will not give student workers an advantage for promotion or rehiring. We also brought up the idea of providing regular reminders for ASEs to track their hours and sharing resources from the union on how to file grievances when issues arrive. ASEs noted that these messages would be most effective coming from the instructors of record (rather than head TAs).
- Better orientations: ASEs suggested the possibility of creating course-specific orientations, noting that campus-wide union orientations are often poorly attended, inconvenient, and of little relevance to EECS ASEs. ASEs also proposed a mandatory orientation for instructors of record that would inform them of the rights of the workers they are supervising.
- Pedagogy training: The issue of 375 pedagogy courses (mandatory for first-time TAs) not being offered during the summer was discussed during the session. The university noted that ASEs would have to pay for the course over the summer—but also that there are ongoing discussions on summer 375 courses. We will follow up in the future on this issue.
- Negotiations extension: Both sides mutually agreed to extend negotiations from the March 1 deadline through March 8.
Key points 3/1
- Ideal staffing model: Professor John DeNero shared a highly preliminary model for what course staffing in EECS/DS could look like if the department’s instructional mission were unencumbered by budgetary restrictions. Although the model produced anomalous results for many courses, it found that an increase in staffing per student would be needed to bring this ideal into fruition. This conclusion is supported by the experiences of many ASEs in the departments, and the model demonstrates the need for additional investment in staffing. All parties are interested in further threshing out the needs of courses, and we will continue to review the model and bring ASEs into the conversation to determine what the future of our departments should look like.
- First supposal: The university and ASEs began to mutually develop the specific language we would like to see in a future side letter. While this process is in its earliest stages and is nonbinding, it is an important step toward coming to an agreement.
- Hiring process: ASEs floated the idea of making representation in hiring an issue of the bargaining process—although more information is needed to determine the specific changes that can be made in the EECS department on this front.
- Hourly vs. salaried positions: Faculty on the university’s side of the bargaining table expressed an interest in moving to a model where people doing TA work are hired on an hourly—rather than a salaried—basis, citing a better mechanism for detecting, preventing, and remedying overwork. ASEs noted an interest in keeping salaried positions with their enhanced stability. ASEs also indicated to the department that they would fairly consider a proposal with more details and that we will continue to discuss the implications of any changes to positions in the department.
Going forward
- The next bargaining session & caucus will be on Friday, March 2 at 9:30–11:30 a.m. in Soda 380. The caucus, where ASEs decide on bargaining strategy, will be from 9:30–10:10 a.m. The bargaining session with university representatives will be from 10:10–11:30 a.m. and will be accessible via Zoom. (Union caucuses are not accessible via Zoom.)
- We are asking that as many head TAs as possible attend Friday’s bargaining session so that we can better determine the needs of courses and improve the ideal staffing model. Please share this information with any head TAs you know.
- Additionally, ASEs will continue to develop contract language to reify many of the ideas floated at previous bargaining sessions.
- Please fill out the course staff survey so that we can determine your priorities and needs. Also share the student experience survey with your students and on Ed boards (and fill it out yourself) so that we can better advocate for the needs of our students. Join the staffing negotiations discussion slack if you have not already to stay up to date.
As these negotiations accelerate, I want to underscore the importance of the bargaining process. The side letter we negotiate will shape EECS/DS for years to come and will touch the lives of every student and ASE. We have a unique opportunity to fundamentally shape our staffing to make a department that we want to work and learn in. But if you do not attend these caucuses & bargaining sessions—and no one you know attends them either—who is advocating for your interests? So show up and make your voice heard—and bring a friend or two with you. Now is the time for every ASE to help us build a better future for EECS/DS.
In solidarity,
Gabe Classon (he/him)
CS 61A uGSI