Frequently Asked Questions

We are student workers who formed a union in order to improve our research and working conditions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Our work as researchers and teachers not only drives the academic mission at WPI, but also produces scientific knowledge that can benefit the greater community. While we work across many specializations, our dedication to our work unites us all.

By organizing as a student worker union, we have built a stronger, more democratic voice for us at WPI, with the power to negotiate for improvements. We have secured our rights and conditions into a legally-binding contract.

Forming a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in particular meant joining tens of thousands of student workers and other higher education employees who are part of the UAW–this includes student workers and other academic workers at Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, University of California, and University of Washington. By working together with these and other academic unions across the country, we are building political power beyond WPI to impact funding policies at the national, state, and local levels that shape our experience in academia.

Forming a union with collective bargaining rights was the only way we had the power to negotiate on equal footing with the university administration and secure agreements in a legally-binding contract. Forming a union and joining with tens of thousands of other UAW academic workers also helps us have a stronger voice on key policy decisions made outside the institute that affect us as researchers, such as federal funding for scientific research and federal rules affecting visa and immigrant issues.

By joining with unionized academic workers nationwide, we have made and will continue to make changes that will create more positive work environments for future student workers and improve career pathways for future faculty and scientists in the US and beyond.

WPI – Graduate Workers Union (WPI-GWU) represents any graduate students who receive compensation to teach, perform research, or does hourly academic work (such as grading) at WPI.

Under our bylaws, the membership elects representatives who help run the union, ensure that WPI does not violate the terms of the contract, and represent members with grievances and other workplace issues.  You can see current elected positions or nominate yourself for an open position here. You can also get involved in one of our subcommittees using this form.

Membership dues are critical for providing us with independent resources that are not controlled by the University: we use them to ensure we have appropriate legal, bargaining, community and staff support to represent all student workers. GWU-UAW membership dues are currently 2% of gross monthly income and can only be increased by membership action (the membership in a few local unions, for example, have voted to increase dues to have more resources).

No one can be required to become a member of the Union. In our contract, since everyone in the bargaining unit must receive all of the benefits of the contract, non-members are required to pay a comparable “Agency Fee,” so the cost of representation is shared equally.

Most academic worker unions have such a provision in the contract because it means we have more power and more resources available to enforce our rights under our contract, campaign for the best possible future contracts with the administration and help other academic workers form their own unions. There is a one-time initiation fee for GWU-UAW of $20.

The value of increased wages and benefits in the our contract dramatically outweighs the cost of dues, with our first contract wining an across the board 20% raise and 3% yearly raises until our contract expires in 2027.

Dues cover our day to day cost of having a strong union, including paying for the best legal representation, staffing, rent, equipment, and supplies.

Most of the day-to-day work enforcing the contract and representing our membership is provided by the larger “local” union we are affiliated with, Union Local 2322. Under the UAW Constitution, the Local Union automatically keeps 27% of dues money to support its expenses: staffing for representation, rent, equipment, supplies, etc. The rest of the dues is allocated to the International Unionʼs General Fund (26%), Strike and Defense Fund (44%), and Community Action Program (CAP) (3%). WPI student workers are supported by these funds. Depending on the overall financial health of the Strike and Defense Fund (if its net worth is $500M or greater), an additional allocation of dues called a “rebate” is given back to the Local and International Union. So, in typical months, the portion of dues retained by the local union is roughly 37%.

For some great examples of UAW local unions helping workers defend their rights, see this summary of successful grievance handling at the University of Washington, or these stories about unionized postdocs fighting pregnancy discrimination at the University of California, or how graduate assistants at UConn took on sexual harassment.

The portion of dues allocated to the International Union supports WPI student workers in the following ways:

Infrastructure;
Union staff who support the day to day functioning of our union;
Legal support;
Experienced negotiators to help achieve our goals when we negotiate our next contract, both at the bargaining table and in terms of developing an overall campaign to win a strong contract, including technical experts in finance, health insurance, and legal rights;
Support for new organizing campaigns (for example, the resources for initially organizing WPI-GWU come from existing UAW membersʼ dues);
Political action: 3 percent of dues go toward the UAW Community Action Program (CAP), which supports progressive community and political action, including legislative and other policy advocacy on issues that matter to UAW members.  For example, the UAW advocates strongly for fair, comprehensive immigration reform and expanded federal support for research funding, among other topics.

[NOTE: legally, dues money cannot be used for federal campaign contributions, such as the presidential race—that money comes from membersʼ voluntary contributions to the UAW Voluntary Community Action Program or V-CAP, which is separate from, and in addition to, dues.]

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. During President Trump’s first term, the UAW helped lead the fight against Executive Orders that targeted international students and scholars, and we plan to do the same during his second term.

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 put pressure on the Columbia administration and engaged allies in Congress to support researchers stranded abroad.

International student workers have the same legal right to join a union as US citizens. International employees have been instrumental in organizing and running the student worker unions at Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, University of California, University of Washington, and New York University. Unionization can result in protections that are especially valuable for international academic employees.

It is illegal in the US for your employer to take action or retaliate against you for union activities.

You have the right to unionize regardless of immigration status. Student workers have been forming unions for decades with significant international student participation throughout those campaigns. In those years, none have reported problems with their visa as a result of their organizing effort.

Additionally, the purpose of forming a union is that we gain the ability to stand up for each other. If a student worker was targeted for participating in the union, the rest of the community would stand up and call on the administration to stop that type of behavior. It is our right as workers to make this decision collectively, and it is inappropriate for an administrator to use threats and intimidation to discourage us from making that choice.

Collective bargaining is a process, protected by US law, that equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer.

Under collective bargaining, WPI student workers elected representatives to negotiate on equal footing with the WPI Administration and put the terms of our employment into a legally binding contract. Through collective bargaining, student workers at WPI have successfully negotiated improved wages and benefits, stronger protections against discrimination and harassment, expanded family-friendly benefits like paid leave and childcare subsidies, and other important provisions.

With a union, all union decisions – including the decision about whether or not to strike – will be made democratically by student workers. With a union, we will collectively decide what to ask for in bargaining and whether or not a strike is necessary.

A strike is a very powerful tool for unionized workers, but a strike would only occur if union members decide a strike is necessary. The decision to strike is made collectively; under the UAW Constitution, two-thirds of workers participating in a strike authorization vote must vote yes in order to authorize a strike. While a strike is most effective if we all participate, it is an individual decision whether or not to do so. Striking is a last resort as a tactic and is rare. Ninety-eight percent of union contracts are reached without a strike.

While strikes are rare, it is not uncommon that workers decide it is necessary to prepare for a possible strike in order to convince a university to reach a reasonable agreement during negotiations. At the University of California, for example, the academic researcher union in UAW Local 5810, reached an agreement with the administration after a majority of researchers voted to authorize a strike. At New York University, the graduate employee union GSOC-UAW Local 2110 reached an agreement with NYU after a majority of graduate employees authorized the bargaining committee to call a strike if they deemed one necessary. Columbia postdocs won their first contract shortly after hundreds of postdocs informed the administration that they would start preparing for a strike authorization vote if Columbia did not make greater progress in contract negotiations.

Student workers began to organize during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to a lack of sufficient support for some of the most vulnerable members of the community, including parents and those of us on visas, as well as increased fees, poorer quality health coverage, and inadequate administrative communication. We realized that we could make even more progress by negotiating as equals with WPI over our working conditions.

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.

Read more here about UAW success helping academic workers negotiate concrete improvements to wages, benefits and workplace rights.

The UAW has particular experience with helping to negotiate and enforce strong student worker contracts. In 2022, 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.

Also in 2022, 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 are able to 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.

Our pay rates and benefits – as well as projected increases – are factored into grant proposals to agencies like the NIH. With collective bargaining, we negotiate as equals with WPI for improvements to our pay rates, which continue to be factored into grant proposals.

No UAW union for academic workers has negotiated a contract that requires all covered employees to make the same amount. And, because we as student workers will make our own decisions about our contract, we would likely not negotiate for or vote to approve a future contract that requires all student workers to be paid the same. Our wage structure includes:

1. A minimum salary;
2. Guaranteed annual wage increases;
3. The right of PIs to pay above the scale; and
4. Strong enforcement provisions that enable us to grieve through the union if we donʼt receive contractual pay increases.

Both a strong union and a student government play an important role in improving the lives of WPI student workers. GSG is an institute sponsored and supported student body that makes it possible for student workers to participate in numerous social and career development opportunities as well as advocacy efforts; however, it is not an alternative to a union.

While GSG can make recommendations to the administration on behalf of student workers, it cannot engage in collective bargaining. Unions and associations like the GSG often work together at academic institutions where both exist.