Yesterday, ASEs passed our last, best, and final offer to the university, outlining the most we can compromise on wages and benefits while still guaranteeing an increase in instructional quality in EECS/DS. The “LBFO” represents an extremely generous offer that would save the university over $4 million annually when compared to the full union contract.
As we passed our “LBFO,” we also handed over a letter signed by over 300 ASEs describing our priorities and resolve in giving the university a final offer. In the letter, ASEs made clear that if the university is unwilling to accept the terms outlined in the LBFO, the “no deal” or “doomsday” scenarios (one of which, according to Professor John DeNero, involves running all EECS and DSUS courses with at most 4 TAs and an army of tutors) would result in major violations of the union contract, which we would enforce at enormous cost to central campus administration.
The near-majority of 700 undergraduate ASEs who signed onto this letter in just over a day is unprecedented. Never before in the history of EECS/DS have we seen so many ASEs stand up for their rights and the interests of their students in such a short period of time. To everyone who read and considered the letter, thank you. If you would still like to read/sign onto the letter, you can do so at eecsdsstaff.org/letter.
See below for a comparison of the provisions provided by the full union contract, the LBFO, and the university’s latest proposal.
| Issue | Full union contract | LBFO | University’s plan |
| Staffing increase | No staffing guarantee | 15% guaranteed increase in staffing relative to enrollment, including 15% more TAs. | No staffing guarantee. 15% increase that the university can unilaterally remove at any time. |
| Titles | (u)GSIs (8–20 hours) Tutors (6–8 hours) Readers (6–10 hours) | UCS3 (head TAs, 8–20 hours) UCS2 (TAs, 8–12 hours) UCS1 (tutors/readers, 6–12 hours) Readers (6–10 hours) | UCS3 (head TAs, 8–20 hours) UCS2 (TAs, 8–12 hours) UCS1 (tutors/readers, 6–12 hours) Tutors (6–8 hours) Readers (6–10 hours) |
| Wages by Oct. 2024 | Undergrad TAs in EECS/DS receive same wages as graduates and undergraduates in other departments.57% raises for all TAs $3.50 raises for hourly | Undergrad TAs in EECS/DS receive wages 22% lower than graduates and undergraduates in other departments.24% raises for TAs $3.50 raises for hourly | Undergrad TAs in EECS/DS receive wages 51% lower than graduates and undergraduates in other departments.29% pay cut for TAs $3.50 raises for hourly |
| Fee remission | 100% fee remission for all TAs, even at 8 hours | Partial proration: 100% fee remission for UCS3s at 10+ hours, 40% at 8 hours. UCS2s: 40% at 8 hours, 50% at 10 hours, 60% at 12 hours | No fee remission |
The university did not immediately accept our proposal. As we move toward mediation, please keep your eye on the EECS/DS Staffing Negotiations Discussion Slack and eecsdsstaff.org for information.
Happy spring break,
Gabe Classon
CS 61A uGSI