Clark graduate union approves deal with university, ending strike
Photo | Kevin Koczwara
Clark University Graduate Workers Union members on strike at Clark's Main Gate during the first week of October. The union voted to ratify a new contract agreement.
Clark University Graduate Workers United union voted unanimously 71-0 on Wednesday to ratify its first contract with Clark University, officially ending the contentious negotiations which included the union workers going on strike.
“Today, ClarkU Graduate Workers United (CUGWU—Teamsters) UNANIMOUSLY ratified our first contract, locking-in up to 90% wage increases and deep subsidies for health insurance after a decisive 5-day strike,” the union said in a message posted to Twitter on Wednesday.
The union, which formed in March and is associated with the Teamsters Local 170, went on strike on Oct. 3 and reached a tentative agreement with the university on Friday.
“Throughout the contract negotiations our goal was to reach an agreement that recognizes the value of our graduate students and the important contribution they make to our University,” Clark Provost Sebastián Royo said in a written statement. “We were confident we could achieve that goal and are pleased that the contract is now ratified.”
Negotiations for a new contract started in April, but no agreement was reached and on Oct. 3 the union announced it was striking indefinitely until a contract was agreed on. The union said it wanted pay raises for the student workers as well as better health insurance coverage. Backed by the Teamsters Local 107, members of the union protested outside of the school’s Main Street entrance and construction workers at Clark University’s Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design in Worcester walked off the job in solidarity on Oct. 4.
In the new contract, PhD students can expect raises ranging from 20% to 90% depending on the department, and master’s students' pay will go up several dollars an hour, according to what a union member told MassLive.
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