[Faculty] Update on ASE-GSR Contract Implementation

Tue May 19 16:09:48 PDT 2026

*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 with an update regarding implementation of the recently
negotiated agreement between the University and the United Auto Workers
(UAW) for the unified Academic Student Employees (ASE – Teaching Assistants
(TA), Associate Instructors (AI), Readers, Tutors) and Graduate Student
Researchers (GSR) bargaining units. Please share this message with all
faculty who serve as Principal Investigators (PIs) for their planning
purposes.

As you know, the University and the UAW already reached agreement on the
unified ASE and GSR contract. However, the parties continued discussions
over the past seven weeks to clarify some outstanding issues and develop
implementation plans, culminating in a Post-Ratification Settlement Side
Letter signed on May 5, 2026. It provides detailed provisions for ASE
Appointment Notification, ASE Summer Session, and Wages articles.

I want to be sure you have full insight into these details. As you may be
aware, the ASE Appointment Notification article includes a new provision
establishing a 50% appointment requirement for TAs and AIs in PhD and MFA
programs. The Side Letter delays implementation of this provision until
Winter Quarter 2027 and Spring Semester 2027 to allow campuses and
departments adequate time to accommodate this change. The parties also
agreed that when the 50% FTE requirement takes effect, 50% FTE appointments
will be offered unless one or more of the following exceptions apply: (1)
in conjunction with other salaried bargaining unit appointments to reach a
total of 50% FTE; (2) the University determines in its academic judgment
that another TA or AI is more qualified to teach available course(s) and
provides notice of its decision to the union; or (3) by exception, the
University maintains sole discretion to appoint at a higher percentage than
50% FTE.

Additionally, for academic year 2026-2027 only, departments that had
already communicated TA appointments below 50% FTE to incoming PhD and MFA
students as of May 5, 2026 will not be required to supplement those
appointments, provided the student receives concurrent financial support
that is at least equivalent to GSR Salary Point 1 at 25% FTE for the
relevant academic term.

The Post-Ratification Settlement Side Letter also establishes a new ongoing
exception to the 50% FTE TA and AI requirement for cases in which
fellowships or training grants restrict employment at below 50% FTE.
Nothing in the agreement prevents a graduate student from rejecting a
training grant-funded position or a fellowship to accept a 50% TA or AI
appointment. Moreover, the University has agreed not to create or modify
internal fellowship terms for the purpose of circumventing the 50%
appointment requirement.

The University and UAW also reached several clarifications regarding the
implementation of the GSR Wages article. Consistent with the ratified
collective bargaining agreement (CBA), departments, hiring units, and
programs will continue to apply the existing salary point practices in
place at the time of ratification. The side letter further clarifies how
current GSR salary point practices will transition to the five-point salary
scale effective October 1, 2029.

We have agreed that the GSR experience will continue to be calculated
annually as of June 30 for each year of the contract. Experience-based
salary progression, effective October 1, 2029, will occur prior to the
elimination of the five-point scale and will be applied using the existing
six-point salary scale, effective October 1, 2028. After any applicable
progression is implemented, GSRs will transition horizontally onto the new
five-point unified salary scale effective October 1, 2029. For the
2029-2030 academic year only, experience will still be evaluated as of June
30, 2029, but placement on the newly applicable salary point will occur on
January 1, 2030.

I recognize that the GSR salary progression and the new format of the
salary scale are complicated. For ease of reference and for your internal
planning purposes, I am attaching PowerPoint slides developed by the
Systemwide Academic Personnel office that illustrate salary progression and
experience-based increases for a GSR at each salary point on the salary
scale. In close coordination with Systemwide Labor Relations and UC Legal,
Systemwide Academic Personnel is continuing to develop implementation
guidance and campus support resources, which will be shared in the coming
weeks.

If you have any questions about the content of this letter, please feel
free to contact your local Academic Personnel office. Meanwhile, I send you
my thanks (once again!) for your continued commitment to supporting our
graduate student employees and maintaining the strength of our academic
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

Attachment: GSR Wages Summary PPT Slides

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 Henderson

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

Associate Director Burnett

Associate Director DiCaprio

Manager Ishaya
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