NYU Imposes Another Round of Health Care Cuts: This year is the second year in a row that graduate assistants at NYU have returned from summer jobs and research trips to find that our out-of-pocket healthcare costs have been raised drastically.

· Prescription co-pays for many drugs are now $45, up 1/3 from last year and 125% from what they were under our contract
· Co-pays for specialty services are now $10. Under our contract and last year these services were fully covered.
· Many diagnostic tests, including screening for sexually transmitted diseases, are no longer covered.
· Co-pays of 20% for tests including x-rays, mammograms and MRIs. Under our contract and last year these tests were fully covered.

Grads at NYU paid the full cost of health care out-of-pocket before our first contract, and NYU's refusal to bargain a second contract gives the administration the freedom to turn back the clock on health care for grad employees. Please email gsoc@2110uaw.org to report new policies and problems, or if you would like to work with other GSOC members to address health care issues.

Under our contract, we could have brought a general grievance challenging the cuts to our health benefits last year and again this year as violations of the agreement to maintain a plan "substantively similar" to the one we secured in bargaining. If an arbiter then ruled in our favor, NYU would be responsible to correct the coverage and reimburse out-of-pocket costs incurred due to the change. ACT/UAW Local 7902, the union of adjunct faculty at NYU and the New School, has won such reimbursement for members denied health coverage.
GSOC/Local 2110 UAW, 113 University Place, 5th floor, New York, NY 10003
ph: 212.387.0220 fax: 212.228.0198 gsoc@2110uaw.org