ASE Bargaining Survey

TAs and GSRs currently have different pay scales resulting in pay disparities between and within departments, as well as between campuses. Starting October 2024, TAs are paid between $3777-4804/month at quarter campuses and $3400-4303/month at semester campuses, depending on experience level and the specific campus. GSRs are paid between $2880-4184/month depending on what step they are at, which is currently at the department’s discretion and sometimes results in disparities between cohorts. Switching between job titles is also common, resulting in inconsistent compensation and experience accrual between terms.

In the current contract TAs won 55% raises and GSRs won 25-80% raises over 2.5 years. Future raises need to be re-negotiated in this round of bargaining.

Currently, ASEs are not guaranteed year-round employment. This means some ASEs are left without income in the summer months.

TAs and GSRs are eligible for at minimum: 

• 2 days/quarter (3 days/semester) of paid leave time (i.e. sick leave)
• 8 weeks of paid leave each year for the following reasons: parental leave or medical leave (including caring for a family member with a serious health condition)
• 5 days of bereavement leave each year.

GSRs have an additional 12 days/year of personal time off, while TAs do not have additional time off. PTO days also do not roll over between terms.

When trying to resolve a contract violation, ASEs can engage in the grievance process. This is a multi step process:

• The first few steps have clear and definite timelines and involve trying to reach a resolution with the university.
• If unsuccessful, it can be appealed to an independent party (arbitrator) to make a final ruling. This step has no definite timeline and can take up to 1 year.

Childcare Reimbursement

• The ASE contract ensures that worker-parents are eligible for $1400/quarter ($2100/semester) of childcare reimbursement. 

Dependent Healthcare Remission

• ASEs are eligible for 100% premium remission for their child dependents if they are a single parent and their wage puts them over the Medi-Cal eligibility threshold. But if they have a spouse and the combined household salary is over the Medi-Cal threshold, the dependent is not eligible for premium remission. 

Spousal Healthcare Remission

• Our current contracts do not extend healthcare remission to spouses of ASEs. This especially affects international workers whose spouses are on visitor visas. 

For many ASEs across the state the UC is not only our employer, but also our landlord. The UC insists that it maintains sole discretion over campus housing construction and rents.

In the current contract ASEs have reduced-fee or no-fee access to appropriate regional transit systems or campus parking programs). ASEs also have the right to participate in parking programs along with "similarly situated employees."

The current ASE contract ensures that doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy do not pay Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) for 3 years. Most departments cover NRST for the duration of a PhD program but this is not codified in the contract. International workers also have paid leaves for visa appointments but visa fees are not covered.

The current “No Strikes” clause includes the right of individual ASEs to honor picket lines and, by law, engage in mid-contract strikes over serious unfair labor practices (ULPs). The UC will attempt to weaken these rights and repress worker activity and free speech through police expansion and internal discipline procedures.

Currently, there are no broad contractual guarantees for interim funding when a GSR switches labs, nor a contractual requirement to disclose GSR funding sources. Transition funding can support GSRs while they look for a new research group for any reason, such as harassment, discrimination or ethical concerns.

The ASE and the university engage in an “interactive process” in which the worker’s accommodations are determined and implemented. Medical documentation can be required if the University requests it.

Currently, GSRs do not have the same contractually codified workload protections as TAs, who have daily, weekly, and term workload hour limits in their contract. Instructor-student ratios are currently at the sole discretion of UC, and the UC has increased class sizes to offset the cost of raises.

ASEs have robust protections against working in unsafe working conditions and a right to refuse to work in unsafe working conditions. However, the UC is often slow to resolve workplace hazards, forcing ASEs to choose between time sensitive degree progress and personal safety.

Currently, some professional student ASEs pay "Professional Supplemental Tuition" even while working.

In the 2022 Contract ASEs won a $3.50/hour raise over the course of the contract.

Currently hourly ASEs are not guaranteed a minimum number of hours worked, making their weekly income highly variable.

Undergraduate hourly ASE positions do not currently receive tuition and fee remission or UC SHIP (healthcare) coverage.

When trying to resolve a contract violation, ASEs can engage in the grievance process. This is a multi step process:

• The first few steps have clear and definite timelines and involve trying to reach a resolution with the university.
• If unsuccessful, it can be appealed to an independent party (arbitrator) to make a final ruling. This step has no definite timeline and can take up to 1 year.

Childcare Reimbursement

• Our contract ensures that worker-parents appointed at or above 25% in any ASE title are eligible for $1400/qr ($2100/sem) of childcare reimbursement.

For many ASEs across the state the UC is not only our employer, but also our landlord. The UC insists that it maintains sole discretion over campus housing construction and rents.

In the current contract ASEs have reduced-fee or no-fee access to appropriate regional transit systems. ASEs also have the right to participate in parking programs along with “similarly situated employees.”

Our current contract ensures that doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy do not pay Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) for 3 years. Most departments cover NRST for the duration of a PhD program but this is not codified in the contract. International workers also have paid leaves for visa appointments but visa fees are not covered.

The current “No Strikes” clause includes the right of individual ASEs to honor picket lines and, by law, engage in mid-contract strikes over serious unfair labor practices (ULPs). The UC will attempt to weaken these rights and repress worker activity and free speech through police expansion and internal discipline procedures.

The ASE and the university engage in an “interactive process” in which the worker’s accommodations are determined and implemented. Medical documentation can be required if the University requests it.

ASEs have robust protections against working in unsafe working conditions and a right to refuse to work in unsafe working conditions. However, the UC is often slow to resolve workplace hazards, forcing ASEs to choose between time sensitive degree progress and personal safety.

Class size and tutor-student ratio is currently at the sole discretion of UC. Since the 2022 contract, UC has increased class and section sizes to offset the costs of ASE raises, eroding the quality of instruction and working conditions for ASEs and other academic workers at UC.