A right you can't enforce isn't a right.
Both sides agree there should be a grievance procedure to enforce the contract. The fight is whether Non-Discrimination — race, disability, sex, gender, bullying — is enforceable through it. UVM's counter says no. The union says yes.
Tale of Two Systems
The same problem, two very different paths.
If a graduate worker is harassed or discriminated against, this is what changes depending on which path runs.
UVM-only path
What UVM is proposing
Union path
What we're bargaining for
- Who makes the final call✕UVM alone.✓A neutral outside arbitrator.
- Fixed timelines at each step✕None — investigation runs at UVM's discretion.✓Guaranteed at every step of the grievance procedure.
- Union representative with you✕No.✓Yes, from Step 1 onward.
- Covers race, disability, and bullying — not just sex / gender✕Unclear; narrower than the contract's Non-Discrimination language.✓Yes — every Non-Discrimination violation is grievable.
- Supportive measures (new workstation, supervisor change, no-contact)✕At UVM's sole discretion; can be denied; no timeline.✓You can request them yourself with a clear, time-bound process.
How the carve-out works
One phrase. Three doors.
UVM's April 9 counter doesn't argue against grievable discrimination on the merits. It quietly inserts a single phrase in three places so that, on paper, discrimination protection exists — but the only path to enforce it has been closed.
The single phrase doing the work
“issues otherwise excluded in other Articles and Sections of this Agreement”
UVM drops this phrase into three places in the Grievance & Arbitration article. Each insertion shuts a different door — tap a door to see what it does.
Door 1
Section 1 — Definition of a grievance
Inserted into the definition of what counts as a grievance.
Door 2
Section 6 — Arbitrator's jurisdiction
Inserted into the limits on what an arbitrator can hear.
Door 3
Section 7 — Arbitrator's remedies
Inserted into the list of remedies an arbitrator can order.
Hostage clause
UVM's preamble makes any agreement on Grievance & Arbitration contingent on settling Non-Discrimination — the agreed procedure is being held hostage to win the carve-out.
Reservation clause
The preamble also reserves UVM's right to “further limit” grievability in other articles later.
This isn't a radical demand
Grievable Non-Discrimination already exists at 0 institutions
Most are UAW locals like ours. UVM's position is the outlier, not ours — and that's the framing that wins.
HarvardHGSU-UAW
On strike in 2026 over this exact issue — coined #NoCarveOut.
UC system (all campuses)UAW 4811
NYU
UConn
Expedited track lets workers skip the first two grievance steps in discrimination or harassment cases.
UMass Amherst
Temple
Mount Sinai
Weill Cornell
WPI
Hofstra
WellesleyWOAW-UAW
Won the framing: a right you can't enforce isn't a right.
Three pushbacks, three answers
What you'll hear, and what's true.
The arguments against grievable Non-Discrimination tend to repeat. Here are the three most common, with short answers you can use.
Concrete scenario
A graduate worker is being bullied by their PI
A graduate worker is being bullied by their principal investigator. The lab work the PI controls is tied directly to the worker's thesis — leaving the lab means starting research over.
- Step 1Filing a complaint
UVM-only path
Worker files with UVM's office. Alone — no union representation guaranteed.
Union path
Worker can have a union representative with them from the first conversation onward.
- Step 2How long until something happens
UVM-only path
Investigation runs at UVM's discretion. No published timeline; no obligation to keep the worker informed.
Union path
Each grievance step has a fixed timeline written into the contract.
- Step 3But the bullying is tied to the worker's thesis
UVM-only path
UVM's Discipline & Discharge counter says anything academic isn't covered — so an attack on lab access, authorship, or thesis progress slips into a gap.
Union path
The Non-Discrimination article covers the worker as a worker. The grievance process handles the working-conditions side; Title IX still handles the misconduct side.
- Step 4Supportive measures the worker needs to keep going
UVM-only path
Workstation, supervisor, no-contact — all at UVM's sole discretion. Can be denied with no appeal.
Union path
Worker can request these measures themselves through a clear contractual process, with timelines and a written response.
- Step 5If the worker disagrees with the outcome
UVM-only path
There is no neutral appeal. UVM's decision is final.
Union path
The case advances to neutral, third-party arbitration. An outside arbitrator decides whether the contract was violated.
The bigger table
Where every contract article stands.
At Session #36 the union passed every economic article. The remaining contested articles all sit in one package — and Grievance & Arbitration is being held hostage to win the Non-Discrimination carve-out.
Bargaining status · Session #36
Where every article stands
All economic articles passed. The contested package is Grievance & Arbitration, Non-Discrimination, and Discipline & Dismissal, plus International Worker Rights and Union Access.
| Article | GSU position | UVM position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation | 9-mo $30,366.64 · 12-mo $40,435.20 at $21.06/hr (2026 CPI-adjusted livable wage) | Current minimums $25,781 (9-mo) · $34,375 (12-mo). Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Health Insurance | Keep current SHIP, or pay a reduced premium for the comprehensive PPO1 plan. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Workload | Required workload matches the contract (20 hrs/wk for most GSEs). | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Tax Assistance | UVM covers tax-filing costs for GSEs. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Professional Development | Up to $1,000 per GSE for conferences, workshops, etc. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Travel & Reimbursement | Formalises reimbursement timelines. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Emergency Fund | Increase access to as-needed. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Parental Benefits | $75,000 childcare fund for GSEs. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Parking & Transit | Daily permit access, White-lot access, commuter benefits. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Leaves of Absence | Dignified sick, parental, bereavement, and visa leave. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Tuition & Fees | Cost of tuition and fees isn't on the GSE. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Appointment Security | Funding honoured; minimum 9-month appointment. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Holidays & Vacation | Double or triple current vacation time. | Waiting on counter. | Waiting on counter |
| Grievance & Arbitration | Robust grievance procedure that includes Non-Discrimination — ends at neutral arbitration. | Holding the procedure hostage to win the Non-Discrimination carve-out. | Contested |
| Non-Discrimination & Harassment | Strong protections, grievable at Step 2, neutral arbitrator as last step. | Wants Non-Discrimination violations unenforceable through the grievance procedure. | Contested |
| Discipline & Dismissal | Process and protections; union notified, with FERPA waiver controlling details. | Insists anything tied to academic / thesis work isn't subject to these protections. | Contested |
| International Worker Rights | Pathway to work outside Vermont; protections against unlawful agents on campus. | Wants contract violations on this article unenforceable. | Contested |
| Union Access & Rights | Resources needed to represent members; FERPA waiver run through union onboarding. | Wants to weaponise FERPA and bar union reps from classrooms, labs, and research spaces. | Contested |
Tell UVM: no carve-out.
The governance page has a Take Action panel that opens a pre-filled email to the Provost, the VP for Graduate Studies, the VP for Faculty Affairs, and the President. Two minutes; pre-written; you can edit before sending.