USC and about 3,000 newly unionized graduate student workers who teach, grade and do research reached a tentative labor agreement Sunday evening with big pay boosts and antiharassment protections, averting a threatened Tuesday strike weeks before final exams.
The tentative pact - hammered out after more than six months of negotiations - would raise minimum wages for the lowest-paid academic workers from $35,700 a year to $40,000 beginning next year, establish the first ever grievance and arbitration process, offer child care stipends, provide semesterlong parental leave and other benefits.
"Graduate student workers' first contract will improve the lives of thousands of workers at USC and create a culture of accountability," Mayes said. "This agreement marks the beginning of a stronger USC."
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