Newsletter Updates & Archive

Hello Fellow Assistant Policy Researchers!

We need your support for our Initial Bargaining Demands (IBD) Ratification! As part of the bargaining process, we put forward this document as a broad statement of our goals as a bargaining unit. We need your approval before we can proceed. You can vote to approve (or reject) our proposal at this link. Because negotiations begin so soon, this election will close at 4:00p PT on Wednesday, November 8.

What is an IBD Ratification for?

Initial Bargaining Demands (IBD) refer to the proposals or requests made at the beginning of negotiations with an employer. These demands typically outline broad changes or improvements sought–as well as things employees seek to maintain–in employment terms and conditions. IBDs serve as a starting point for negotiation. Membership ratifies bargaining demands, which set a vision for the bargaining committee’s more specific proposals moving forward. Thus this vote is an important step in the collective bargaining process, because it allows Assistant Policy Researchers to have a say in the general demands that will be presented to management. 

We recently circulated draft IBDs and collected feedback. Thank you for such in-depth responses! They have contributed to our request for information and other documents, and will be critical to inform our specific proposals as negotiations proceed. If you do not see your suggestions incorporated in this IBD, please be assured that we are tracking them, and that the purpose of the IBD is intentionally high-level for strategic reasons.