A group of 2,200 graduate students at Vanderbilt University have filed an election request with the National Labor Relations Board in partnership with United Auto Workers. The move follows months of organizing and petitioning for higher pay and better benefits. The group, which includes graduate student employees providing instructional, research, and administrative services, is demanding guarantees of annual raises due to the high cost of living in Nashville.
Organizers Nick Goodell and Jade Miller cite the financial struggles of graduate workers, who often need to take on multiple jobs to make ends meet. They argue that the stipends provided by the university are not sufficient, especially for international students on visas who are not permitted to have other forms of income. The organizers are working with UAW, which represents graduate workers at other prestigious universities, to push for better pay and conditions for all graduate employees at Vanderbilt.
The university administration, however, argues that graduate workers are not employees and should not be allowed to unionize. They claim that graduate work is integral to education and not performed in exchange for compensation. Despite this, the NLRB has previously ruled that graduate workers are indeed employees and have the right to collective bargaining.
Vanderbilt is seeking a delay in the unionization process, but the graduate workers are pushing for a quick resolution. Goodell emphasizes the need for a living wage for students, pointing out that the prestige of the university does not pay the bills. The graduate students are determined to move forward with their unionization efforts to improve their working conditions and financial stability.
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