Brown/Trinity MFAs are unionizing with GLO!

Last Thursday, October 13th, graduate actors and directors in the Brown/Trinity Masters of Fine Arts program filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to be represented at work by the Graduate Labor Organization! This is the program our colleague Clew was kicked out of after being denied unpaid professional and family leave, a decision BT grads are still fighting back against.

With an overwhelming majority of Brown/Trinity grads having signed GLO membership cards, they’ve also asked Brown University to voluntarily recognize them as part of our union. Read this statement by BT grads about why their work deserves to be recognized!

We, the actors and directors in the Brown/Trinity Masters of Fine Arts program, are unionizing as part of the Graduate Labor Organization. We are unionizing in order to have a voice in the conditions of our work as apprentice theater workers, and to advocate for livable stipends while in our time at Brown/Trinity. Productions at Brown/Trinity do not happen without our labor as actors and directors. Our work in productions at Brown/Trinity enriches life in Providence, and sustains Brown University’s ranking in the top five MFA programs in the country.  

Actors in our program are offered anywhere from $0-$13,500 a year as a living stipend, based on “financial need.” As a result of this unlivable stipend, many of us go into debt, battle food insecurity, and function in ongoing financial crisis. Our Brown/Trinity schedule obligates us to attend class,rehearsal, or performance six to seven days a week, as many as fourteen hours a day. Our workload in classes coupled with our work obligations for production prevent us from holding any type of employment outside of Brown. 

While MFA Directors are afforded a stipend of a little over $28,000 a year, this isn’t liveable either. Our program should be accessible to anyone who is qualified, and a liveable stipend is what accessibility looks like in practice.

A union is about more than pay: we deserve to have a voice in the conditions of our work. In recent years, unilateral decisions about professional and personal leave have impacted graduate students in our program, particularly students of color, disabled students, and students of marginalized genders and class backgrounds . In instances of professional leave, having a policy in place that allows students to accept opportunities outside of Brown, that simultaneously ensures the continuation of classes and production for their classmates and coworkers, would ultimately further Brown University’s incredible reputation in the theater industry. To have graduate students working in their field while amidst studies would bring prestige to the Brown/Trinity MFA program. 

In regards to personal leave, some of us have had to fight for leave that should have been the norm, while others have been forced out after being given a choice between their personal situation (be it mental health, family health, or other circumstances) and their degree. No one should have to make such a choice, especially after having contributed so much of themselves to the demanding work of our program. 

Graduate actors and directors deserve better pay, working hours that leave time for taking care of ourselves, and a realistic leave policy. These issues highlight the need for us to have a voice in our working conditions. We’ve seen in the past how our collective action has made improvements to our program. If all of these issues are addressed, it will further underline how crucial it is for us to be organized in order for our needs as student-workers to be met.

We are unionizing to ensure we have a seat at the table when decisions are being made about our work and education, and to advocate for conditions that could change the foundations of MFA theater education across our country. At a time when educational institutions are evaluating what it means to be equitable, diverse, and inclusive, now is the time for Brown University to hear our voices in order to open doors to education to those who would otherwise be excluded. 

Brown University is uniquely poised to make bold changes to this MFA program. Becoming the first unionized MFA program, where student workers have agency in the decision making process surrounding their time in school, will afford Brown University the institutional excellence it deserves and attract prospective students who will undoubtedly change the face and culture of the American Theater for the better. We are unionizing in order to ensure this potential becomes a reality.