The Graduate Student Organization will meet Wednesday to discuss the possibility of unionization in reaction to a perceived lack of transparency from the Syracuse University administration.

Specifically, members say there was a lack of transparency regarding the new student health insurance policy, which will affect about 1,500 graduate students. The GSO Senate voted unanimously last Wednesday to censure the SU administration for its actions regarding the policy change, citing failure to properly distribute details of the new plan. All graduate students are required to have health insurance by the start of the next academic year under the new policy.

The GSO will also be holding a rally at noon on Thursday on the Hendricks Chapel steps with THE General Body to voice their concerns regarding changes to the health insurance policies and plans.

“I think that what students are feeling is a lack of consultation and a lack of voice and agency in decisions that directly affect their lives,” said Sam Leitermann, GSO internal affairs vice president, in an email. “Recent events definitely reflect a need to have more power in decisions, unionization is one of several ways to do that.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, the GSO will discuss the possibility of forming a union in order to give students a voice in decisions that are made without their consultation, Leitermann said.

Several groups have been looking into unionization and gathering information to gauge the opinions and needs of graduate students. They will share their information at the meeting to let the graduate student body inform the GSO’s decision on how to proceed, Leitermann said.

Leitermann said they are also researching other institutions that have gone through the process of unionization, and have reached out to other student groups for guidance, such as SU’s Graduate Students United.

“If unionization is the option graduate students wish to pursue, GSU is a valuable resource. I expect that as we move forward we will rely on their knowledge in partnership with the GSO’s efforts,” Leitermann said.

Dean of Student Affairs Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz presented SU’s new health insurance plan at a March 16 Student Association meeting and students whose health insurance doesn’t currently meet the minimum standards of the Affordable Care Act will be required to switch to a university plan through Aetna Student Health.

In addition, teaching assistants, research assistants and graduate students, assistants and employees will be required to switch to the Aetna Student Health plan.

“Taking us off the employee healthcare plan has far reaching consequences for our health and finance, and we were informed of it after a decision had already been made,” Leitermann said.

Sarah Ledford, GSO comptroller, said in an email that most TAs, RAs and GAs are currently on the SUBlue health care plan. Switching to the Aetna Student Health plan would be a $558.36 cost increase. For those with a partner and two children on the SUBlue plan, the switch would cost more than $3,000, she said.

About 1,500 of the 5,000 graduate students would be impacted by the changes to TAs, RAs and GAs insurance policies, Ledford said.

The three current employee plans are highly ranked in quality and details of what they cover, including reproductive health and birth control access, mental health and transgender-related healthcare, said GSO President Patrick Neary. He said there are concerns that those high quality services might be eroded under the new plan.

Graduate students, specifically TAs, are earning a minimal stipend while they’re at SU and could be hit hard by the cost increase, Neary said.

“These are people that have graduated and are trying to make money to pay off loans. All of a sudden they’re hit with another cost,” Neary said. “Loans for undergrad were already horrific, and now they face more debt. It really throws off life planning.”

There is also confusion regarding specific requirements and cost increases affecting international students having to switch to the new plan. There will be about a $700 price increase for international students who are on plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act, Ledford said.

“We have been struggling to find out information about the plan, including whether it fulfills all of the visa requirements of international students, and whether students who are currently covered by a plan from their home country will be able to waive this coverage, as you can only waive if you have an Affordable Care Act compliant, U.S.-based plan,” Ledford said.

Ledford said the SU administration has done nothing to reach out to the entire graduate student population, and has not offered a specific breakdown of benefits or answers to questions about how international students will be affected.

Neary said the reason graduate students found out about the change is because of an email he personally sent out to the graduate student body after noticing nothing had come out about it.

“There was a complete lack of coordination and proper announcements,” he said. “Nobody in administration took ownership and properly managed this whole process, and these are the consequences of that.”

In an April 2 open letter to Chancellor Kent Syverud, the GSO insisted information regarding the change be made public and no further actions be taken to implement the plan without GSO Senate input.

“It’s a month away from the end of the semester, and next semester we’re all getting hit by this,” Neary said. “The fact that we still don’t have answers is reprehensible.”

Published on April 6, 2015 at 11:55 pm

Contact Lydia: lawilson@syr.edu