GENU-UAW: Graduate Employees of Northeastern University

GENU-UAW is an organization of student workers joining together to build power, create a democratic workplace, negotiate improvements to our working conditions, and secure our benefits in a binding, democratically approved union contract that cannot be unilaterally changed by the university administration.

Winning a union will allow us to collectively bargain a union contract which is a legally enforceable document that guarantees our conditions of employment. Those benefits cannot be changed unilaterally by the university without negotiating with our union. Here are some examples of what other student workers have won with a union contract:

• Annual, across-the-board stipend increases and timely payments.
• Enhanced dental, vision, and mental health insurance (including lower co-pays for services and prescriptions).
• Improved family benefits, including health coverage for dependents, child-care subsidies and paid maternity leave.
• Workload protections for hours worked, vacation, and leave, so that students are free to teach or research as many hours as they choose without being unfairly pressured.
• Subsidized public transportation services, parking, and housing.
• Protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, and assault.
• Fair and transparent grievance procedures.
• Improved disability access and resources for people of color.
• Protections for international graduate workers.

We chose to work with the UAW because they are the largest union of graduate workers in the country, and have a history and experience winning strong union contracts.

The UAW represents more than 100,000 academic workers across the United States, including more graduate student employees and postdocs than any other union. In the last eight years alone over 40,000 academic workers around the country have chosen to become part of the UAW.

The UAW has particular experience with helping to negotiate and enforce strong student worker contracts. Most recently, student workers at Columbia University in NYC voted by 96.7% to ratify their first contract with a majority participating. Harvard student workers approved their contract in 2021.

Last year, the University of California recognized Student Researchers United-UAW as representative for more than 17,000 workers, after a supermajority of UC student researchers signed cards selecting SRU-UAW as their union. In addition to drawing on the UAWʼs wide experience bargaining contracts with university administrators, we can exercise a stronger political voice through the UAW. With active members at more than 45 major campuses across the US, the UAW has become a strong advocate on policy issues that matter to us as academics, such as federal support for science funding and enhancing the rights of international research scientists.

We do not pay dues until we have voted to ratify (accept) our first contract. This means that we won’t pay anything until we see benefit gains first. Members pay dues to pay for staff, experts and other resources that make sure we can negotiate a strong contract with the administration and enforce it effectively.

UAW dues are 1.44% of gross income from the work covered by our contract, and will only be paid by those members employed as TAs, RAs, or in other positions covered by the union contract. Some union locals, like the local in which NYU’s student employees are members, choose to pay a higher dues rate if they feel they need the extra resources. Any rate higher than the UAW standard must be voted on by local membership.

Typically all workers in a bargaining unit are required to pay dues or some type of agency fee. All workers will benefit from the same union contract, and the union is obligated to represent all workers and enforce the contract on their behalf, regardless of membership.

Members of the union will vote to decide if a strike is necessary. Under the UAW constitution, 2/3 of those participating in a strike authorization vote must vote in favor of a strike in order to authorize the union to call one. While a strike is most effective when we all stand together, it is up to individual members whether to go on strike, and the UAW does not fine members who do not participate.

Although it is sometimes necessary, striking is an important and powerful last resort when an employer persistently refuses to negotiate in good faith. When other options for bringing an employer to the bargaining table have been exhausted, a strike is a powerful way to remind employers and the public of the importance of our work.

Strikes also work. At the University of California, 17,000 graduate researchers went on strike to win their first contract and won significant increases to pay, benefits and protections.

Ultimately, we will get to decide if striking is in our best interest, and when, both as a union and individually.

With roughly 100,000 academic workers, the UAW has become a powerful organization advocating to improve conditions for international students and scholars. For years, the UAW has fought hard to ensure that the contributions of guest workers are elevated and that the terms and conditions of their employment are improved. Recently the UAW helped lead the fight against Executive Orders issued by former President Trump that targeted international students and scholars.

In October of 2020, UAW Academic Workers mobilized against a proposed rule by ICE to shorten visa stays for international scholars; thousands of public comments were submitted, including by the President of the UAW International. In July of 2020, thanks to direct action by UAW Academic Workers across the country, in addition to efforts by allies at universities and in government, ICE backed down from its directive to deport international students taking online classes due to COVID-19. In 2017, the UAW International filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case challenging the Trump administration’s travel ban. The UAW also helped lead the fight to enhance the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program as an important path for international student workers to work in the US after completion of their PhD.

UAW academic unions also provide more resources for researchers on visas at the local level. Columbia University postdocs have used their union to fight for international researchers who could not return to the US during the

COVID-19 pandemic to be able to work remotely and, more recently, put pressure on the Columbia administration and engaged allies in Congress to support researchers stranded abroad.

We are appealing this decision by the NLRB’s Regional Director. The Northeastern admins lied and claimed that  permanent, damaging materials were used when we have photos of the chalk we submitted.

While we appreciate the NLRB Regional Director’s decision in our case for a union election, this is the same Regional Director who decided the MIT case that stripped fellows of union rights (a case that is being appealed to the national board).  This director ignored testimony from multiple people that chalk was used, and only listened to the employer.

The fact that police went armed to interrogate our organizers in their labs is not in dispute, and that’s why hundreds of our allies rallied in support and the Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge City councils all passed resolutions to support us against this intimidating act. This is why the decision has been appealed.

(Links to a photo of the chalk we took from the instance, as well as the MIT Appeal announcement I need to dig up)