Graduate Workers at MIT, Indiana University Demand Union Recognition

Members of the Indiana Grad Workers Coalition/UE

On Friday, December 10, the Indiana Grad Workers Coalition/UE delivered over 1500 union cards — a supermajority of Indiana University (IU)'s approximately 2500 graduate workers — to the Indiana University Board of Trustees and formally requested a union election. The following Monday, December 13, the MIT Graduate Student Union/UE delivered a letter to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Rafael Reif announcing that an overwhelming majority of MIT’s 5,000 graduate employees have signed union authorization cards and asked for voluntary recognition of their union.

“Unionizing will give us an official pathway toward improving the working conditions and quality of education for grad workers,” said IU Sociology student and IGWC-UE member, Anne Kavalerchik.

“A majority of MIT graduate employees have said yes to a union because we are passionate about research and we are committed to securing working conditions that allow our research to thrive” said MIT graduate employee Lucy Hu.

Read more about the Indiana Grad Workers Coalition in the Herald-Times. Read more about the MIT Graduate Student Union in the Boston Globe.

New Generation Lighting Contract Recognizes Workers’ Worth

Members of UE Local 155 who work for Generation Lighting, a warehouse for lighting equipment, ratified a new contract on November 11 with wage increases of four, three and three percent over the next three years. The contract provides for more vacation time, better attendance policies, and limits on mandatory overtime — which was a priority for members of the local — and numerous other improvements.

UE Officers: Senate Must End Filibuster to Pass Voting Rights Legislation

UE's officers issued a statement on December 6, declaring that “Our country’s democracy is facing the greatest threat in over half a century, as voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the flood of dark money in politics make it increasingly difficult for working people to have a voice in our government. If Democrats in Congress do not act swiftly and firmly by immediately passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — and if President Biden does not provide bold leadership to this effort — the ability of working people to fend off corporate attacks in the political arena will be severely damaged for generations to come.” Read the full statement »

Local 150 Slams North Carolina State Budget

UE Local 150, which organizes state, municipal and public university workers in North Carolina, issued a statement at the end of November condemning the budget agreement between the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic governor Roy Cooper. “Governor Roy Cooper let workers down by signing a compromise budget plan into law. The plan ... neglects the needs of working people while prioritizing rich corporations.” Read more »

Refresco Workers Rally, File OSHA Complaints Over Unsafe Work Environment

Workers at the Refresco bottling plant in Wharton, NJ, members of UE Local 115, rallied outside of the plant on Monday, November 15, to demand that the company begin negotiations with their union. “We protested yesterday because these gentlemen from Refresco have not been able to accept that there is now a UNION at the company,” said Licinia Ochoa, a worker at the plant and Local 155 steward. “That's why we protested and we will do it again.” Read more »

Local 1466 Members Occupy Administration Building, Hold “Work-In”

“We are occupying Scholes Hall today for this work and to demonstrate the value of our labor,” said Hally Bert, a grad worker in the Community and Regional Planning program and a union leader. “The university [of New Mexico] continues to embarrass itself by challenging the state labor board rulings and denying our value as workers as human beings.” Read coverage from Source NM »

Local 1466 also won their card check yesterday. You can take action to support these workers by sending a letter urging UNM to withdraw their frivolous legal appeals.

UE Local 896-COGS Campaigns to Protect Grad Workers, University Community

UE Local 896 members Glenn Houlihan and John Tappen report how their local union, which represents 2,000 graduate workers at the University of Iowa (UI), is continuing their fight for a safe and healthy workplace during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Read their article for the UE NEWS »

Support the UE Research and Education Fund with an End-of-Year Gift

It’s been a busy year at the UE Research and Education Fund, UE’s nonprofit arm, which helps diverse worker leaders develop the skills to fight against economic and racial inequality, for a just transition for workers, and to unite working people across borders. Please consider supporting UEREF with an end-of-the-year gift. Support our work »

Bulletin