Below are some common facts and myths related to grad student unions. If you don’t see your concern listed below, feel free to email us at info@syracusegradsunited.org.
Facts and Myths
Myth:
“It is not possible to predict how collective bargaining would impact the quantity or quality of stipends or benefits.”
Facts:
That doesn't sound right, does it? Thankfully, the statement is inaccurate. Considering previous cases where graduate student unions have successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements, the outcome has been higher wages, improvements in health benefits, better working conditions, and more job security. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that collective bargaining will lead to improvements in the quality and quantity of stipends and benefits for graduate student workers.
We are not aware of any specific examples where collective bargaining has resulted in a reduction in stipends and benefits for graduate student workers in the US. Furthermore, neither you nor we will vote in favor of a contract that is detrimental to us!
Facts:
That sounds scary! The good news is that there isn’t a non-academic third party. We, the graduate student workers, are the union. We are the ones who make the key strategic decisions, determine our priorities for bargaining, and vote to approve a contract.
Secondly, there is no reason to assume that the Graduate Student Organization would be negatively impacted or dissolved. GSOs and unions have complementary and collaborative roles. In fact, GSOs at many other universities have endorsed their graduate employee unionization efforts (see Boston University, Yale, Harvard).
At Syracuse University, the vast majority of GSO senators, including SGEU Organizing Committee members, voted to pass a resolution to support the SGEU unionization effort. You can find the resolution here.
Myth:
“Working through a non-academic third party (the graduate employees union affiliated with SEIU) could affect future engagement and collaboration with the Graduate Students Organization (GSO).”
Myth:
“A collective bargaining agreement would set the terms and conditions for all members of the bargaining unit, thus preventing individual graduate students from negotiating special arrangements related to their terms or conditions of employment directly with their respective faculty supervisors.”
Facts:
That sounds problematic! The truth is that a collective bargaining agreement will set a baseline in regard to wages and benefits for all of us. That means there will be minimums but not ceilings, as other graduate student employee unions have achieved. Consequently, there would be nothing stopping individuals from negotiating individual contracts above and beyond the baseline. Moreover, many contracts include provisions that allow grads to work as much as they want.
For instance, the University of Washington graduate student employee collective bargaining agreement states, in Article 35 Section 8, that "Workload assigned to a [graduate employee] should not in any way be construed as imposing a limit on the amount of academic work necessary for a student to make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree."
Union contracts do not restrict work but rather safeguard grad students who feel they are overburdened or in need of support.
Myth:
“It is not clear how unionizing might affect off-site research activities such as conferences, field trips, or remote research. To the extent such activities are part of a graduate assistantship position, for example, funding, covered travel and other aspects of such activities may be subject to negotiation with the union.”
Facts:
That sounds alarming, doesn’t it? Gladly, this statement is not accurate. Graduate student unions in other universities have negotiated for travel and lodging support to attend conferences, access to funding for conference attendance, and opportunities to present their research. Furthermore, graduate student unions have negotiated for increased access to research resources such as lab equipment, databases, and more support for research and writing activities.
Based on previous experiences in the US, it is reasonable to expect improvements in benefits related to professional development and research activities that can support graduate students in their off-site research activities.
Myth:
“Unionization will negatively affect the relationship between advisors and graduate students.”
Facts:
That sounds scary! However, Rogers, Eaton, and Voss (2013, 507) have found that “unionized graduate students reported better personal and professional support relationships with their primary advisors than were reported by their non-union counterparts.”
The study shows that relationships with advisors actually benefit from having better stipends and benefits standardized through a contract which allows more space for faculty to focus on mentorship. In addition, hundreds of our faculty have already signed a letter of calling on the administration to abstain from any anti-union tactics during our campaign.
Myth:
“Union dues are expensive and they will harm you economically.”
Facts:
That sounds scary! The truth is that nobody will pay a cent in union dues before we form a union, negotiate our first contract, and then ratify it by a majority vote of all graduate student workers. That means that before paying union dues we will be able to assess the benefits and improvements the contract will bring. Would you vote for a contract where the benefits didn’t outweigh the dues? We wouldn’t either.
Besides, our union dues will be 1.5 to 2 percent of our increased wage (nobody will pay dues from their current stipend). That money will help self-fund our worker organization to have the staff, offices, printing, and legal support we need.
Myth:
“Unionizing will affect your student tax exception, and you must pay FICA taxes.”
Facts:
That also sounds scary! Fortunately, the existence or absence of a collective bargaining agreement for graduate student employees has no bearing on whether or not such graduate student employees will pay FICA taxes. FICA status is determined by the number of credits enrolled by student workers and other considerations related to their employment, not by the presence of a collective bargaining agreement (please see Revenue Procedure 2005-11 safe harbor guidelines for more information). This has been proven by numerous universities, such as Columbia University, University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University, University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of California, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois System, Montana State University, University of Oregon, University of Iowa, and many others, where graduate assistants have collective bargaining rights and are exempt from FICA taxes.
The same is true for international graduate student workers. In the U.S., international students pay taxes based on residency and visa status and are treated as non-resident aliens for this purpose. Being unionized or under a bargaining contract won’t change your residency and visa status, and will continue paying taxes as we do now.
You can find all this information on the IRS website here.
Myth:
“They will force you to go to strike.”
Facts:
That statement sounds distressing, doesn’t it? It’s worth noting that strikes are rare, which is why they reach the news when happening! There has not been a labor strike at Syracuse University since the 90s.
That being said, strikes are the most powerful weapon workers have and should be addressed seriously and carefully. For that reason, unions require a super majority vote to authorize a strike, and it could only come after we first vote to form a union, then vote to elect our bargaining committee, then work in good faith to negotiate a contract with the administration. Thus, we’d exhaust all other methods of campaigning before democratically taking a decision to strike. Would you and your colleagues in your department decide to strike without careful deliberation?