PROTECTIONS AGAINST HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION AND BULLYING

Through organizing and collective action, we are committed to creating academic workplaces where every worker is safe, respected, and able to thrive. By denying union rights, university administrators deny our ability to negotiate for real protections against sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination — and with that, deny a real path to gender equity.

Nearly half of women in higher education workplaces report being sexually harassed during their programs. At NSHE, several workers have come forward to share their experiences with harassment, discrimination, and bullying. In the words of former UNR Graduate Assistant Maddy, “My first supervisor harassed me—making inappropriate comments about my body and actively encouraging me to violate safety rules as a condition of working in the lab. When I went to my department for help and talked about filing a Title IX complaint, I was heavily discouraged from doing so. I was left feeling powerless and unsafe.” These kinds of situations are unacceptable. 

Without a union, academic workers are forced to rely on administrative processes that are often opaque, unpredictable, and designed to protect the institution rather than survivors. With a union, the balance of power shifts.

Here in Nevada, 79% of Postdocs and 78% of Graduate Assistants said in a Climate Survey that more needs to be done to promote equity and inclusion at the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Across the country, UAW academic workers have set the standard by securing powerful, enforceable protections that move institutions toward gender equity:

• Grievable non-discrimination and bullying protections
  UAW academic workers at Wayne State were the first to win binding, enforceable non-discrimination language in their contract. By establishing a process for a neutral, third-party to investigate discrimination claims, they are more likely to be reported—and acted on. This has been a standard-bearer for other UAW locals. In 2022 negotiations, University of California workers won breakthrough protections against bullying and abusive conduct in the workplace, giving workers greater recourse to ensure safe work environments.
   
• Groundbreaking equity investments
  UAW workers won the first-ever Columbia Race Equity Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to address racial and gender-based inequities, including wage gaps.
   
• Childcare support
  UAW academic workers at the University of California were the first to secure contractual subsidies for childcare. By negotiating childcare funds, workers have helped close one of academia’s most persistent gender gaps: the unequal impact of caregiving.
   
• Peer-led prevention training
  UAW academic workers at the University of Washington secured university funding to establish the EPIC program (Empowering Prevention and Inclusive Communities) a nationally recognized, peer-led anti-discrimination and harassment program that sets a new standard for prevention.