Frequently asked Questions

Graduate Labor Organization (GLO) is a grassroots organization of graduate student-workers at Brown University. GLO was brought into being by the efforts of activists grads involved with Stand Up for Graduate Students Employees (SUGSE), which was established in 2014 to advocate for graduate student-workers. Foundational accomplishments include fighting to save sixth-year funding, winning dental insurance for all graduate student-workers, and ratifying the first collective bargaining agreement for graduate student-workers at an Ivy League university. Our hundreds of members come from departments and schools within the university. We are affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP).

GLO was founded and is run by graduate student-workers, and it’s graduate student-workers who run the day-to-day operations of our union. The foundation of our organization is learning about each other, thinking about what we could achieve together in a union, and taking action to build collective power to achieve our goals. We will work together to listen to each other and think creatively about shared goals and how we can collectively achieve them. We are currently in the process of selecting the Union Executive Board.

In the spring of 2017, after a referendum, we joined the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a national union with a reputation for respecting the independence of its locals, which reflects the extent to which our members value GLO’s autonomy. The AFT supports our efforts to advocate for graduate student-workers by sharing key resources, including legal counsel and organizing assistance.

Graduate students lead precarious lives with relatively little funding, heavy workloads, and uncertain job prospects. We love the research, teaching, and community service that we do which contributes to making Brown such a dynamic and enriching community. We also do all sorts of things that aren’t officially recognized, like mentoring, writing letters of recommendation, and making sure we’re available in-person or via email to answer questions. But we need adequate benefits, clear work expectations, consistent and transparent employment policies, and a mechanism to ensure Brown’s accountability. Our Union makes these things possible which, in turn, makes us better teachers and mentors for you!

Teaching and research assistant working conditions directly impact undergraduate learning conditions. At a research university like Brown, TAs and RAs take on a significant portion of the teaching and grading responsibilities for undergraduate instruction in addition to conducting cutting-edge research that also enhances the quality of undergraduate education. In order to maintain these high standards it is crucial for Brown undergrads to recognize TA and RA labor and support grad workers’ right to negotiate a fair contract with the University through collective bargaining, so TAs and RAs have the time, energy, and resources to devote to enriching your undergraduate experience.

Your support means a lot to us! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and feel welcome to join us at public events we will be holding. If you have a student group or campaign you would like us to support in turn, please get in touch with us.

The Bargaining Committee is a group of graduate student-workers who represent our interests in negotiating with the university. Our Bargaining Committee is selected prior to the beginning of bargaining each year, and is composed of members from departments and programs across the University, to make sure all voices are represented. We have legal assistance from the AFT, but we develop our proposals and we sit at the negotiating table.

Graduate workers at dozens of state universities, from the University of California system to Rutgers, have long had successful grad unions, and our colleagues at private universities like New York University and Tufts University have recently joined them in this endeavor.

GLO is one among many graduate student-led groups working toward improving the place where we work, learn, and live by bringing together and amplifying the voices of graduate students. What makes GLO unique is its independence from Brown’s administration and, its unique capacity, protected by U.S. labor law, to be our representative in negotiating our rights and working conditions.

Among other important student groups at Brown are the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and interest- and identity-based groups like the Samuel M. Nabrit Black Graduate Student Association, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWiSE).

Collective bargaining is a process by which employees work together to negotiate the terms of employment with their employer, and serves to equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer. Under collective bargaining, we elect representatives to negotiate on equal footing with Brown and put the terms of our employment into a binding contract, on which every union member will vote in order for it to take effect. With collective bargaining, graduate employees can negotiate for improvements in wages, hours, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment. Without collective bargaining, Brown has the power to change our conditions or decide whether or not to make improvements without being held accountable to the people who are directly affected by these changes: graduate student-workers.

Currently, Brown determines research assistant (RA) pay rates unilaterally, and those rates – as well as projected increases – are factored into grant proposals to agencies like NIH, NSF, DOD, etc. With collective bargaining, we negotiate as equals with the Brown for improvements to our pay rates, and those improvements are incorporated into grant budgets.

You can find out if you’re part of the Bargaining Unit by logging onto Banner (self-service.brown.edu). Navigate to the “Student” tab and click “Graduate Student Appointment Details”; click the appointment letter for the relevant year and look to the line “Appointment Classification”.

People who are not part of the Bargaining Unit are free to choose to become members of the Union (or not) at their individual discretion.

If you’re appointed to a position that is included in the Bargaining Unit and covered by our Union contract, the Union automatically represents your interests in negotiations with the University administration. You can choose not to become a Member of the Union, but you will have to pay Fair Share Fees to cover the costs associated with this union representation, which are a large percentage of the full dues rate. Furthermore, non-members do not have the ability to vote for representatives, negotiate our next contract, or have a voice in the running of the Union.

Member dues rate: 1.65% of the stipend while a member (deducted pre-tax). For Members in the Bargaining Unit, dues are typically deducted monthly by the employer; Members not in the Bargaining Unit will typically pay dues at the beginning of the semester. All Members are expected to pay dues to remain in good standing. People in the Bargaining Unit who are not Members must pay a Fair Share Fee, which is typically 85% of the full member dues rate.

According to the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (the main body of law governing elections in private-sector unions), elections of Officers must be conducted by mail. Members of the Union will receive a paper ballot at their registered address before the election date (ballots can be mailed internationally). Please, update your address by emailing gradlabororg@gmail.com to make sure that you receive your ballot.

Reach out to your steward! If you’re not sure who your steward is, please reach out to organizing@glounion.org to be directed to the appropriate contact.

Yes! Members who are not part of the Bargaining Unit can become Stewards or join any of the standing Committees, other than the Bargaining Committee. According to labor law, positions on the Executive Board, the Bargaining Committee, and Delegates to local and national labor meetings have to be held by people in the Bargaining Unit.

You can start by following us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), or emailing gradlabororg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to take a more active role in directing the Union’s goals and supporting fellow grads, there are a variety of positions and committees available for members to fill, including Officer positions (details in Article V) and Steward positions (details in Article VIII). You can find a brief explanation of some of these roles in the Constitution Basics.

Once we have the first round of elections, you’ll be able to contact a Steward for your worksite to find out how to get involved, or attend a General Members Meeting.

Note: This FAQ was prepared with inspiration from GSU and GEO FAQs.

Every international graduate student, regardless of national origin or type of visa, has the right to join a union. Your right to belong to a union is protected by the right to freedom of association guaranteed in the United States Constitution. The visa requirement that foreign students may only accept employment associated with the university they attend in no way compromises the right to belong to a union. Graduate employees have formed unions and bargained contracts at many schools, and graduate employee unions have existed for almost 40 years. None of the campuses with unions have reported any complications arising from the dual status of being both a foreign student and a unionized employee. It is against the law for your employer (the University) to discriminate against you on the basis of your union membership or participation in legal union activities.

That discrimination exists against international students, however, is clear. This is another reason why international students should join a union and help fight for more protections. Only with a union, independent of the University administration, can you be assured that if you are subject to discrimination by the administration that there is a group that will stand behind you and will help to defend you.

All foreign students enjoy the same rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association as U.S. nationals. Federal law protects your right to join a union.

However, foreign students cannot make financial contributions to political organizations in the United States. This means that international students cannot donate to the COPE Fund, when signing up to be a Union member.

Political activities such as picketing, rallies, leafleting, demonstrations, etc., are forms of expression and free association, which are protected for foreigners in the U.S. (including foreign students with visas) as they are for U.S. nationals. It is against the law for your employer (the University) to retaliate against you for participating in these protected activities.

No. It is against the law for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to ask you questions about your union membership or your legal union activities or to take them into account when reviewing your visa application. In the past there was a question on the visa application form asking the applicant about his/her union activities. But this question was removed from the application form several years ago.

In nearly 40 years of graduate employee unionization, there is no reported instance of any international student having problems with the law or with their visa status as the result of their union activity. It is against the law for the university to retaliate against you for union activities. It is also highly unlikely that a university would charge you with violating university regulations as a result of your union activities. But if they did so, this would probably be found illegal. There is no known case of any international student being expelled from the university as a result of union activities, nor would such an expulsion be legal. There is one known case at Yale University, which charged two international students with academic misconduct for their participation in strike activities. The charges were subsequently dropped.

International graduate students have many reasons to join a union. First, the union can provide a voice and advocacy for international graduate students who don’t always know the U.S. university system. Second, the union can help ensure that departmental hiring practices are clear, open, and fair so that international graduate students don’t miss out on work opportunities. Third, since U.S. law prohibits international students from being paid for more than 20 hours per week, making sure that the minimum stipend guarantees a decent living standard is even more critical. Fourth, better and more affordable benefits, a fair and enforceable grievance procedure, higher wages, a voice in our working conditions, and respect as employees are things all grads and their families deserve.

For more information see: Rights of International Students to Join GEO.

You can help by upholding our Union contract, committing to providing safe working conditions and reasonable workloads, advocating for greater workplace protection for graduate employees within your department or lab, respecting your graduate students’ decisions to get involved in the union effort, or, even joining graduate students in the union effort. If you have any questions or would like to reach out to us in solidarity, please contact us.