Support Our Union
In order for us to build a strong, living union that supports all the graduate employees at SU, we need everyone’s help. Grad workers across the country are unionizing and winning big improvements, but rarely are these improvements won without significant pushback from university administrators using scare tactics and anti-union law firms. On this page you can find a variety of ways to get involved with Syracuse Graduate Employees United!
There are a variety of ways you can get involved with SGEU, depending your availability and interests:
Organizing Committee
If you’re more interested in overall strategy and organizing, consider coming by one of our open Organizing Committee meetings, which occur every week!
Standing Committees
If you don’t have time for a weekly meeting but want to help out with various tasks essential to the functioning of our union, consider joining one of our Standing Committees!
Contract Issue Groups
If you’re fascinated by the bargaining process, have a specific workplace concern or issue you’re passionate about, and want to help ensure all members’ voices are reflected in our first contract, consider joining one of our Contract Issue Groups!
Learn more about all of these options below!
Department Reps.
Or, if you’d like to serve as a liaison in your department, keeping your peers informed about the latest union happenings, answering questions they may, and, if need be, encouraging them to take action, consider becoming a Department Representative
Organizing Committee (OC)
The Organizing Committee meets weekly to discuss our union’s progress, hear report backs from Standing Committees (and the Bargaining Committee), and strengthen our organizing skills. Any graduate worker is welcome to join the Organizing Committee. If you are interested, please join us at one of our weekly standing meetings (details below).
Meeting Time: 6:00pm, Mondays
Meeting Location: Carnegie Library; Room 110
Community Building
Do you have a knack for event planning? The Community Building Committee is an essential part of building member-to-member solidarity through the planning and implementation of social events and public actions.
Meeting Information:
Every Friday at 2:15pm, on Zoom
Outreach and Coalition-Building
We aren’t the only workers on campus - or in the city! We are fortunate enough to have a large number of supporters. The Outreach and Coalition Committee is a body working to coordinate and build relationships with outside organizations and other labor groups both on and off SU’s campus, ensuring a thriving and sustained movement for Syracuse Graduate Employees which supports and is supported by allied groups and organizations
Meeting Information:
As Needed,
Contact Hayden Courtney using the button below for more information!
Standing Committees
Building and growing our union takes a lot of work spread out among many hands! If you are looking for a way to contribute, consider joining one of our Standing Committees. These groups are made up of volunteers who are committed to building a strong graduate employee union at SU. They conduct a variety of essential work that keeps our union running!
See a group you are interested in joining? Click the “join” button underneath the committee information to be connected with a fellow grad or email info@syracusegradsunited.org to learn more!
Communications
Interested in keeping all of our union members in the know? The Communications Committee is critical to SGEU having a consistent message for its’ internal members, collaborators, and other external bodies. It ensures the visibility of the organization through consistent communication channels while also having oversight over the organization’s membership listserv, accounting for all members having access to important news, updates, and events.
Meeting Information:
Every other Wednesday, 5:30pm
Education and Training
Interested in learning more about unionizing, bargaining, and building a strong democratic union? The Education and Training Committee is an integral part of orienting new members, identifying educational needs of the current membership, and providing all membership essential resources in order for SGEU to have a majority of its body both informed and engaged.
Meeting Information:
Every other Wednesday, 5:00pm
Archives and Data
With a unit of over 1,000 members, we have a lot of data and information to keep organized. The Archives and Data Committee is essential for our organization to maintain institutional memory for future members and elected officers of SGEU through organizing and categorizing all relevant materials on an accessible and reliable database.
Meeting Information:
Every Thursday at 3:00pm
International Graduate Employee Experience
Are you an international graduate worker or someone interested in improving the working conditions of international graduate employees? The interest group for improving the international graduate employee experience will be working towards ensuring the voices of fellow international graduate workers are heard when fighting for our contract. This group will be researching and collecting information to improve the conditions of all international graduate workers at Syracuse University.
Issue Group Chairs: Bhargavi Parthasarathy and Sergio Saravia
Next Meeting Time: Friday, October 27th @ 11am
Meeting Location: PARCC (4th floor of Eggers)
Family and Parental Support
Are you a parent, plan on starting a family, or are interested in helping the working conditions of graduate working parents? The Family and Parental issue group is integral to having all the voices of our coworkers heard and having accurate information to make decisions about the well-being of graduate working parents when fighting for our contract. This group aims to research and gather stories about our coworkers to improve the conditions of all graduate workers who are parents and/or have a family to take care of in Syracuse.
Issue Group Chairs: Sue-Jin Green and Roger Rosena
Next Meeting Time: Thursday, November 16th @ 3pm
Meeting Location: TBD
Contract Issue Groups
Securing a transformative first contract that drastically improves the livelihoods of graduate employees at SU requires the involvement of as many SGEU members as possible. You all are the primary experts on what you do, what your work conditions are, and what you need to thrive at SU. The primary role of contract issue groups is to conduct research and advise the Bargaining Committee on specific contract issues (each issue group is chaired by 1-2 BC members). If you have a particular work-related issue you are passionate about, consider joining an issue group.
See a group you are interested in joining?
Click the “join” button underneath the issue group information to be connected with the member of the bargaining committee leading that group
Workplace Protections
Do you feel like the workplace policies detailed on your contract are inconsistently applied or sometimes even ignored by Syracuse University officials? Do you feel like SU doesn’t provide you with the tools and resources you need to be successful in your work space (if you have one) on a daily basis? Please consider joining the workplace protections issue group to help develop enforceable workplace policies that allow graduate employees access to the the protections and resources they need to be most successful?
Issue Group Chairs: Bridget Mack, Sadie Novak, and Sam Santiago
Next Meeting Time: Thursday, November 16th @ 4pm
Meeting Location: Life Sciences Building cafe
Compensation
Do you feel like graduate employees are underpaid for their labor? Are you concerned that we don’t receive the financial support we need to thrive in Syracuse? This group will contribute to the bargaining process by conducting research on how our current pay structure affects the SU graduate employee experience, what we need to live a good and respectable life in Syracuse, and what other graduate employees have been able to successfully bargain.
Issue Group Chairs: Cassidy Thomas and Hayden Courtney
Next Meeting Time: Tuesday, November 14th, 6pm
Meeting Location: PARCC
Healthcare
Do you feel like our healthcare insurance at SU is overpriced and/or inadequate? Please consider joining the healthcare issue group to conduct research on the types of comprehensive and affordable healthcare plans other graduate employee unions across the country have successfully fought for. This issue group will play a pivotal role in helping the Bargaining Committee design a healthcare plan that better supports the needs of our graduate employees and their families!
Issue Group Chairs: Lauren Ashby and Haejo Kim
Next Meeting Time: Wednesday, November 1st @ 1pm
Meeting Location: Tolley 110
Discrimination and Harassment Protections
Have you ever witnessed or experienced harassment or discriminatory practices in the workplace? This issue group will contribute to the bargaining process by conducting research on how we can establish speedy third party avenues to handle cases of discrimination and harassment. We will also collect stories from our coworkers to ensure your voices are heard while we strive for a workplace free of discrimination, harassment, and abuse from authority.
Issue Group Chairs: Joe Beckmann and Jenna Walmer
Next Meeting Time: Wednesday, November 15th @ 5pm
Meeting Location: TBD (email one of the chairs for the link)
Department Representative
Department Representatives serve as the primary point of contact for union members within specific academic departments. They serve as invaluable resources for graduate student workers looking to learn more about our union and are responsible for keeping their immediate peers up-to-date on the latest union happenings. In contract negotiation years, Department Reps assist the OC and BC in ensuring that their departments are ready to take action, if needed.