Page "John Sexton" Paragraph 43

In recent years, there has been controversy at NYU over the issue of collective bargaining and union representation for graduate assistants ( GAs ).

In 2001, NYU signed the first and only collective bargaining agreement for GAs at a private university.

In July 2004 in a case involving Brown University, the National Labor Relations Board reversed its 2000 ruling involving NYU and – reverting to long-standing prior precedent — determined that graduate students are not workers.

In the spring and summer of 2005, there were discussions between NYU and the United Auto Workers ( which represented the GAs ) to try to come to terms on a new contract.

Ultimately, this proved unsuccessful, and NYU decided not to negotiate a second contract with the Graduate Student Organizing Committee, sparking a strike among graduate assistants in late 2005 and criticism of Sexton.

GSOC called off the strike in 2006.

In 2009, NYU ’ s Graduate School of Arts & Science – home to most of the NYU's fully funded graduate students — modified its financial aid packages for graduate students to eliminate assistantship duties ; thereafter, graduate students who wished to teach could do so ( with additional compensation beyond their graduate study stipends ) as adjunct faculty, who are unionized at NYU.