USC and the Graduate Student Workers Organizing Committee reached a tentative agreement on union security during another round of negotiations Monday. 

Union security was one of three major sticking points of graduate student workers, along with the nondiscrimination clause and wages, that would trigger a Nov. 28 strike date if a contract isn’t finalized.

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Union security, or the creation of a union shop, would require all union members to pay dues and non-members to pay an agency fee.

“The main part of the union security article is about membership, dues and the mechanics of how dues get paid,” said Jackie Johnson, a member of the bargaining team and fifth-year doctoral candidate studying cinema and media studies. 

Graduate student workers and the University also settled on their “No Strike” tentative agreement, which says there would be no strike for the duration of their contract once in effect.

USC has not presented a counter proposal on the nondiscrimination clause since Oct. 16. 

On wages, USC presented a proposal giving a 3.25% increase for the 2025-26 academic year instead of a 3% increase in its previous proposal. USC’s wage increases for other years remained the same at 3.6% for 2024-25 and 3% for 2026-27. USC’s proposal also did not include a wage supplement. 

“We’re going to need to see something much more significant than a .25% change to get a good contract that membership feels comfortable ratifying,” Johnson said.

Graduate students countered USC’s wage proposal by lowering their desired wage supplement from $3,800 to $3,000. Per their proposal, minimum pay would be increased to $42,000 for those working over a nine-month period and $43,500 for those working over a 12-month period, starting in the next academic year. In the following two years, pay would be raised by 6.5% each year. 

There are ongoing disputes about the duration of the contract, specifically concerning its end date. As of Monday, USC and GSWOC have agreed on 81% of tentative agreements. 

When asked if the relatively positive outcome of the most recent bargaining session would lead to postponing the Nov. 28 strike date, Johnson said she thought the tentative agreement on union security should not be misconstrued as USC bargaining in good faith. 

“They know what we need to see in a nondiscrimination article,” Johnson said. “They can turn that over at the top of the morning tomorrow. So it’s not about giving them more time. It’s about them giving us real protections against discrimination, harassment and abuse.”

Negotiations will continue Tuesday between the union and the University.