[Faculty] Provost Letter to Faculty re GSR Recognition Settlement

[UCR Provost]

*This letter is sent on behalf of UC System Provost and Executive Vice
President Katherine S. Newman. For your convenience, the text of the letter
is below.  The signed letter is attached as a pdf.*



ACADEMIC COUNCIL CHAIR AHMET PALAZOGLU

EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLORS AND PROVOSTS



Dear Colleagues:



I am writing to you about an important and impactful settlement agreement
the University reached with the United Auto Workers (UAW) related to STEM
PhD students on rotations and fellowships that should be shared with all
faculty who may advise a STEM PhD student or supervise a Graduate Student
Researcher. There are several background issues that will help provide
context for this agreement and, with apologies for the length of this
communication, I would like to summarize them here.



First, you may recall that I wrote to you on August 5, 2025, to explain
that an arbitrator had issued a decision finding that the University
violated the Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) collective bargaining
agreement related to GSR step placement and progression practices and
applied the ruling retrospectively. Second, in the same letter, I also
informed you about ongoing arbitration and confidential mediation sessions
concerning whether a subset of graduate students qualify as employees.
Since 2023, the UAW has filed many grievances across the system related to
alleged misclassifications of STEM PhD students who are on (1) first-year
rotations; (2) internal fellowships; and (3) external fellowships
(collectively “GSR Recognition issues”). All the grievances were
consolidated at the systemwide level, and both the University and the UAW
agreed to binding arbitration. Specifically, the UAW claimed that PhD STEM
students who are on rotations in STEM labs perform research as work for the
University and, also while funded by internal and external fellowships. The
same arbitrator who ruled against the University on the GSR steps placement
case referenced above was also handling the GSR Recognition issues.



At the beginning of 2025, the UAW argued before the arbitrator that the
graduate students on academic rotations and on fellowships are employees
under the GSR contract because they perform a service for the University.
To support their position, the UAW presented testimony from 27 graduate
students across the system and from multiple programs. The University also
began presenting its case, including testimony from faculty. Given the risk
of a negative ruling that could have a detrimental impact for either the
UAW or the University depending on the outcome, in parallel with the
arbitration proceedings, the parties engaged in confidential mediation to
resolve the issues outside of arbitration, in service of reaching a
mutually agreeable resolution.



Over the course of this year, we consulted with Academic Senate leadership,
the Faculty Advisory Committee on Graduate Education and Employment,
Executive Vice Chancellors/Provosts, Graduate Deans, Vice Chancellors for
Research, Vice Chancellors for Planning and Budget, Vice Chancellors for
Administration, and Academic Personnel offices in preparing settlement
terms that are budgetarily responsible and most importantly, adhere to the
guiding principle that graduate students and their academic progress are
not covered by the GSR contract as they are not a term and condition of
employment.



The focus of UAW testimony was the notion that graduate students on
rotations in STEM labs are performing work, even when they are exploring
different research areas, methodologies, research techniques, lab cultures,
and mentoring styles with the goal of researching an academic decision
regarding their dissertation topic. From the union’s perspective, they meet
the criteria to be classified as an employee, and thus, should be appointed
as GSRs. Following consultations with Academic Senate leadership, the
Faculty Advisory Committee on Graduate Education and Employment, and
academic administrative leadership, we recognized that the core priority of
our faculty was preserving the academic purpose of first-year rotations,
and we are pleased that this practice will continue. We appreciate the
UAW’s recognition of its importance and are glad we were able to reach an
agreement that academic rotations remain academic in nature and are outside
the scope of UAW representation.



However, to address the concerns of the UAW, on a prospective basis,
effective winter quarter/spring semester 2026, the parties agreed that all
first-year PhD students who are assigned to a STEM lab (whether rotating or
non-rotating) shall be appointed as a 25% GSR Paid Direct (or, another GSR
title covered by the collective bargaining agreement) for every term they
are assigned to a STEM lab (the University retains the flexibility to
appoint at a higher percentage). A GSR Paid Direct appointment means that
they are not paid through UC’s payroll system and may continue to be paid
through the current funding sources and mechanisms used to fund first year
students. That means, *they will not be charged to a PI’s grant* if they
were not so previously. Furthermore, these terms do not require the
University to increase student funding packages to accommodate this new
appointment, as the agreement permits the University to adjust
non-employment student financial support to account for the GSR employment
wages in the first year. Most importantly, these new appointments will be
separate from academic rotations and academic rotations will remain outside
the scope of UAW representation.



In order to provide sufficient time to make this transition, written
notices of appointment associated with the 25% GSR Paid Direct appointments
will not be issued until fall term 2026 and no union dues will be deducted
until then. Even though the 25% GSR Paid Direct appointments will be in
effect beginning winter quarter/spring semester 2026, no notice of
appointment, written job descriptions, or job duties need to be provided
until fall term 2026. However, the 25% GSR Paid Direct appointments in
winter quarter/spring semester 2026 will ensure that these first year STEM
PhD students who are assigned to labs will have union representation and
will be subject to the protections, obligations, and benefits set forth in
the GSR contract. Ahead of winter quarter/spring semester 2026 and fall
term 2026, we will provide you with guidance and templates related to the
new appointments.



We also worked with the UAW to resolve disputes related to STEM PhD
students on both internal and external fellowships. By no later than July
1, 2026, for the STEM PhD students who are listed on a finite list of
training grants or fellowships[1]
<https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_3049206491579175989_m_1752138603770086550__ftn1>
the
University will review whether they have met the following conditions: (1)
the STEM PhD student is performing a service for the University, at the
direction and specific control of the University, in exchange for
compensation; (2) there is a formal research obligation to a PI's sponsored
research project (whether named on the grant or not); and (3) the formal
research obligation is related to the research the PhD student is expected
to do under the PhD student's training grant or fellowship.



If the terms of endowments (donor-specified restrictions), federal or state
grants, or other external funding agencies *prohibit* the University from
appointing the PhD student as an employee, the University may not appoint
the PhD student as an employee in the bargaining unit. The July 1, 2026,
implementation date provides us with the time necessary to identify these
individuals and make the appropriate adjustments.



In addition, the parties reaffirmed that the total combination of
employment appointments may not exceed 50%, unless granted as an exception
by the University (this includes both TA and GSR appointments, and any
combination thereof). Furthermore, because of this settlement and the
needed clarity if provides, the parties have agreed to not reopen the GSR
Recognition article in the collective bargaining agreement during this
year’s successor negotiations. This is a significant agreement and one that
ensures that the protections and academic boundaries provided for in the
current agreement and this settlement agreement remain in place through the
life of the next UAW contract.



Lastly, I want to acknowledge that this is a complex agreement.
Notwithstanding the advice we relied on from the various advisory groups
that are now routinely part of the bargaining process, we understand that
it has implications for faculty and the Graduate Division on your campus.
We sincerely believe it is the best agreement we could have reached,
particularly in light of the ruling against the University’s position at
the outset. Nonetheless, you will likely have many questions regarding what
this means, how it will work, and how the complexities will impact its
implementation.



Moreover, I fully understand this settlement requires significant changes
to some long-standing practices across the University. Please be assured
that those of us at the Office of the President will be working as quickly
as possible to provide systemwide guidance and templates to make
implementation across the system as consistent and seamless as possible. As
we develop these resources, we will continue working closely with our
valued stakeholders, including Academic Senate leadership, the Graduate
Education and Employment Faculty Advisory Committee, Executive Vice
Chancellors/Provosts, and Graduate Deans, to ensure faculty perspectives
help to shape the guidance and templates.



I want to sincerely thank you for your understanding and patience during
this negotiation process and for your continued commitment to our academic
community. Your insights and collaboration are invaluable, and I look
forward to working together to implement this agreement in a manner that is
least disruptive to the teaching and research
mission.




                                                Best wishes,







Katherine S. Newman

UC System Provost and

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs



UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Sociology & Public
Policy



cc:   President Milliken

        Chancellors

        Academic Council Vice Chair Scott

        Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Nava

        Executive Vice President Rubin

        Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Bustamante

        Senior Vice President Turner

        Laboratory Director Witherell

        Vice President Brown

        Vice President/Vice Provost Gullatt

        Vice President Humiston

        Vice President and Chief of Staff Kao

        Vice President Lloyd

        Vice President Maldonado

        Vice Provost Varsanyi

        Vice Provosts/Vice Chancellors for Academic Personnel

        Vice Chancellors for Research

        Deputy Provost Lee

        Associate Vice Provost Jennings

        Associate Vice President Matella

        Associate Vice President McRae

        Assistant Vice Provosts/Vice Chancellors for Academic Personnel

        Chief Human Resource Officers

        Graduate Deans

        Executive Director Anders

        Executive Director Lin

        Executive Director Menezes

        Deputy General Counsel Woodall

        Chief of Staff Beechem

        Labor Relations Directors

        Director Weston-Dawkes
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