Today over 250 University of Rochester graduate workers rallied, despite a sub 0 windchill, to demand the right to form a union and announced their intention to strike if an election agreement is not reached. They were joined by faculty, undergraduates, faith leaders, elected leaders and community members who gathered to show their support for the right of graduate workers to organize and win a voice over their working conditions.
These are workers who perform essential teaching and research duties that allow the University to maintain its prestigious status as an R1 institution. Currently, University of Rochester graduate workers can earn as little as $15k/year, with additional concerns around health insurance, a lack of support for international students, and insufficient protections against discrimination and harassment. These concerns have only increased with the Trump administration's recent attacks on immigrants and higher education.
The UR administration is now delaying the signing of their own proposed election agreement in perpetuity, effectively denying graduate workers the right to form a union. In response, graduate workers announced that they are ready to do whatever it takes to win their union, up to and including a strike. This will involve up to 1700 graduate workers walking off the job and would affect all three UR campuses
According to Emefa Amoah, a PhD student in the Psychology Dept “This university has shown us that it will do nothing to protect us. For months, we have asked this university to respect our right to unionize. In their silence, this university undermines their own proclaimed values. We are done waiting. We gathered y’all here to say: ‘If they refuse to recognize our union, we will go on strike.’”
Tiwa Tiwalade, a PhD candidate in Pharmacology and Physiology and co-president of the Alliance for Diversity in Science & Engineering spoke to the many reasons graduate workers are fighting for a union: “So many of us are expected to get by on an unlivable wage. There are grad researchers amongst us that absolutely cannot afford another illness, injury, or car accident because it would effectively bankrupt us…which is funny considering the UR runs one of the biggest hospitals in upstate New York.”
Commenting on the experiences of international students, Renee Jin, an international student from China in the Visual and Cultural Studies program, said “A union is not just about better pay or benefits—it’s about creating a more equitable and inclusive environment where every graduate worker, regardless of their background, can thrive. It’s about ensuring that international students have a seat at the table and that our unique challenges are addressed… we will do whatever it takes to win our union, up to and including withholding our labor in a strike.”
Jacob Edwards, an undergraduate and a senator in the Undergraduate Student Association said “I’m confident that if the time comes our grads decide to strike, the undergraduate community is prepared to stand with them.”
