Brown says no raise, no rights, and no recognition — as contract expiration looms

When is the contract expiring?

This Tuesday, June 30th at 11:59 pm. 

Will Brown be able to change our pay, benefits, or working conditions the moment the contract expires?

No. Under federal labor law, Brown is required to maintain the status quo—both the written terms of the contract and consistent past practices—for as long as bargaining continues, with only narrow exceptions. Expiration does not give management a green light to unilaterally change our pay, benefits, or working conditions.

If we're working without a signed contract, does that mean we have no leverage and are just hoping Brown moves faster?

Not at all. Working without a contract doesn't mean working without power. We're the ones keeping labs running, courses taught, and the University functioning day to day. And once the contract expires, we have more leverage since we're no longer bound by the "No Strike - No Lockout" article, which means we have the legal backing to withhold our labor if we choose to. Brown knows this, and they'd prefer to avoid it.

Does this mean we have to go on strike?

No, your decision to strike is always voted on democratically by the entire union membership. Before any strike vote is held, GLO leaders and organizers will have townhalls, strategy planning sessions, and surveys open to all members for participation. 

What is a lockout, and is it something Brown can do successfully? 

A “lockout” is when an employer elects to close the business to force workers to accept a bad deal. Pay and benefits are withheld and workers are physically and digitally locked out of the workplace. In an academic setting, this is a rarely utilized tactic from the employer as they do not have the same ability to lock workers out as they would in a factory or a similar workplace. Additionally, lockouts are most effective when unions are weak and unorganized. Luckily, we do not have that issue.

Does going past the deadline mean we're headed toward a strike or a lockout?

Not necessarily. Bargaining under an expired contract is a common part of the process, since reaching a full agreement is often long and detailed. GLO bargained under an expired contract back in 2023, too; and we won historic terms! While it's true that a strike or lockout is now technically on the table for either side, that doesn't mean one is imminent. For as long as both parties continue to meet, discuss proposals, and exchange good-faith counters, it’s unlikely.

If something happens to me after the contract expires, can I still file a grievance?

Yes. A few things to keep in mind: a new contract may eventually change how new arbitration claims are handled, but Brown cannot regress on our current terms while we're still negotiating. Second, your federal and state labor rights don't disappear just because our contract has expired. And finally, Brown has a strong incentive to avoid the bad publicity that comes with violating our rights. We've taken them to court and won numerous times before, and they know we're prepared to do it again.

Why haven’t we reached a full agreement with Brown?

Unfortunately management has come to the table with some unacceptable proposals. They are currently proposing a 0% raise for next year along with raises in subsequent years that fall well below historical averages for inflation. 

They have also attempted to strip away current protections against discrimination and harassment. Brown is currently proposing to investigate and judge itself as to whether discrimination and harassment have occurred.

Lastly, management  has refused to acknowledge the wishes of hundreds of graduate fellows to be covered under our contract. Since refusing to voluntarily recognize fellows on April 13th, they have repeatedly made false representations about the nature of fellowship work, claiming that they “provide no true services” to the University.     

Brown has also canceled several bargaining sessions, meaning that for much of this semester we met once a month. Our bargaining committee would have liked to meet more often, but Brown’s team often cited other commitments as a reason they could not.   

In spite of these obstacles we have managed to tentatively agree three articles with Brown and will likely reach agreement on several more in the coming weeks and months. 

Last time when the contract expired, grads got back pay, will that be the case this time?

Brown has signaled that they will resist giving us back pay for the period between the expiration of the current contract and ratification of the new one. They claim there has been “ample time” for us to negotiate this contract before expiration, ignoring the fact that they sat on our initial compensation proposal for 77 days only to respond with a 0% raise in the first year. Nonetheless, backpay is something that we can win, just like anything else in our contract, if we remain united.