Why would grad students unionize — what are the benefits?
The main benefit is that a union gives us the ability to participate in the decisions that most affect us — decisions on stipend levels, workload, work conditions, grievance procedure, fees, etc. For example, grad students at the University of Maryland currently have no role in setting stipend levels. Grad student unions at other schools (including 4 out of 5 of our peer institutions) negotiate a contract with the University to determine stipend levels, among other things. Another notable benefit of a union is a binding grievance procedure. Check out the grievance procedure at University of Michigan for graduate students . This grievance procedure was negotiated by UM’s Graduate Employee Organization. Here at the University of Maryland, if a TA works more than the designated 20 hours/week, there is no means of redress.
