Frequently Asked Questions

We are graduate workers forming a union in order to improve our research and working conditions at Vanderbilt University. Our work not only drives the research mission at Vanderbilt, but also produces scientific and medical knowledge that can benefit the whole world. While we work across many subfields, our dedication to research unites us all.

By forming a student worker union, we can build a stronger, democratic voice, with more power to negotiate for improvements and to secure our rights and working conditions into a legally-binding contract.

Forming a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in particular means joining tens of thousands of higher education employees who are already part of the UAW, including graduate workers at Columbia University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, University of California, and University of Washington. By working together with these and other academic unions across the country, we can also build political power beyond Vanderbilt to impact funding, visa, and other policies at the national, state, and local levels that shape our experience in Academia and as scientists.

Forming a union with collective bargaining rights is the only way we have the power to negotiate on equal footing with the Vanderbilt administration and secure agreements in a legally-binding contract. Forming a union and joining with tens of thousands of other UAW academic workers will help us have a stronger voice on key policy decisions made outside the institute that affect us as graduate workers, such as federal funding for scientific research and federal rules affecting visa and immigrant issues. 

By joining with unionized academic workers nationwide we hope to make changes that will create more positive work environments for future graduate workers and improve career pathways for future scientists in the US and beyond.

Collective bargaining is a process, protected by US law, that equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer. 

Under collective bargaining, Vanderbilt graduate workers will elect representatives to negotiate on equal footing with the Vanderbilt Administration and put the terms of our employment into a legally binding contract. Through collective bargaining, academic workers in the UAW have successfully negotiated improved wages and benefits, stronger protections against discrimination and harassment, expanded family-friendly benefits like paid leave and childcare subsidies, and other important provisions.

Graduate workers began to discuss forming a union in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to a lack of sufficient support for some of the most vulnerable members of the student researcher community, including parents and those of us on visas. Interest grew as we watched our postdoc colleagues organize a strong and representative campaign to unionize and vote by 89.5% to form their union.

We realized that we could also make more progress towards winning improvements by negotiating as equals with Vanderbilt over our working conditions. A group of Vanderbilt graduate workers reached out to UAW to learn from their experience forming unions. Since then, we have been working with the UAW to build a representative campaign to establish our own union at Vanderbilt.

The UAW represents more than 100,000 academic workers across the United States, including more graduate student employees than any other union. In the last eight years alone over 40,000 academic workers around the country have chosen to become part of the UAW

The UAW has particular experience with helping to negotiate and enforce strong student worker contracts. In NYC, graduate workers at Columbia University voted by 96.7% to ratify their first contract with a majority participating. Harvard graduate student workers approved their most recent contract in 2021.

In 2021, Student Researchers United-UAW was recognized as their representative for more than 17,000 workers, after a supermajority of UC student researchers signed cards selecting SRU-UAW as their union. In 2022, UC student researchers at the University of California ratified their first contract by 69% with a supermajority of workers participating. In addition to drawing on the UAWʼs wide experience bargaining contracts with university administrators, we can exercise a stronger political voice through the UAW. With active members at more than 45 major campuses across the US, the UAW has become a strong advocate on policy issues that matter to us as academics, such as federal support for science funding and enhancing the rights of international research scientists.

Read more here about UAW success helping academic workers negotiate concrete improvements to wages, benefits and workplace rights.

Both a strong union and the GSC can play a critical role in improving the lives of VU graduate workers. While the GSC is an institute-sponsored and supported committee that provides important opportunities to participate in numerous social and career development opportunities, including advocacy efforts, it is not an alternative to a union.

The GSC can make recommendations to the institution on behalf of graduate workers, it cannot engage in collective bargaining. Unions and student councils often work together at academic institutions where both exist.

Vanderbilt graduate workers make up our union. After VGWU-UAW has been recognized by Vanderbilt, we will start the process of negotiating a contract with the administration:

• We elect a bargaining committee from among Vanderbilt graduate workers;
• Based on surveys sent to all graduate workers, the committee will develop initial bargaining goals; we vote to ratify these goals;
• The committee will meet with Vanderbilt administration representatives to negotiate in pursuit of our bargaining goals;
• When our committee has negotiated a tentative agreement with the institute they feel they can recommend, graduate workers will vote whether to ratify it as our first contract;
• The bargaining committee will be aided throughout by experienced negotiators and other UAW representatives;
• After the contract is ratified, the membership will elect representatives who help run the Local Union and ensure that Vanderbilt does not violate the terms of the contract, and represent members with grievances and other workplace issues.

Graduate workers make up our union and will democratically prioritize which improvements to pursue in contract negotiations. With a union, graduate workers will negotiate as equals with the administration for the changes we want to make. A contract will legally secure those improvements against unilateral changes by the administration. Currently, the administration can change policies and benefits unilaterally, without any obligation to consult those affected.

With a union, we will vote on our contract. If we are unsatisfied with a contract, we can vote against it and go back to the negotiating table to work out a better agreement.

Graduate workers have negotiated improvements to their salaries, benefits, family-friendly policies, and workspace and materials; have established fair processes for addressing discrimination and harassment; and have negotiated greater job stability and protections for international graduate workers. Graduate workers have won at other universities:

• University of California Student Researchers United-UAW Local 2865
• Harvard University Student Workers HGSU-UAW Local 5118
• University of Washington Academic Student Employees UAW Local 4121
• Graduate Employees at NYU GSOC-UAW Local 2110
• GEU-UAW Local 6950 at UConn
• Columbia University Student Workers (UAW Local 2710)
• Columbia University Postdoctoral Researchers (UAW Local 4100)

Membership dues are important because they provide the resources necessary for effective representation. In the UAW, we do not pay dues until we have gone through the bargaining process and voted democratically to approve our first contract. Dues are critical for providing us with independent resources that are not controlled by the institute: we use them to ensure we have appropriate legal, bargaining, community and staff support to represent all graduate workers. UAW membership dues are currently 1.44% of gross monthly income and can only be increased by membership action (the membership in a few local unions, for example, have voted to increase dues above 1.44% to have more resources).

No one can be required to become a member of the Union after we have a contract. In most contracts, since everyone in the bargaining unit must receive all of the benefits of the contract, non-members are generally required to pay a comparable “fair share” fee, so the cost of representation is shared equally. The inclusion of a similar provision at Vanderbilt would be something we decide as part of our bargaining agenda, would be subject to negotiation with Vanderbilt, and contingent on ratification as part of our contract.

Most academic worker unions have such a provision in the contract because it means we have more power and more resources available to enforce our rights under our contract, campaign for the best possible future contracts with the administration and help other academic workers form their own unions. Under the UAW, there is a one-time initiation fee, which ranges from $10 to $50 and is determined democratically in local union bylaws approved by members.

The value of increased wages and benefits in the first contract typically outweighs the cost of dues, often leading to overwhelming majority approval of those agreements.

It takes resources to have a strong union, from the earliest stages of forming a union for the first time, to bargaining and campaigning for the first contract, to enforcing rights under an existing contract, and to advocating on policy issues that matter to membership. Dues generally cover all of the day to day costs to have a strong union, including paying for legal representation, staffing, rent, equipment, and supplies. Dues provide those resources. See below for more information. 

Most of the day-to-day work enforcing the contract and representing our membership is provided by the Local Union. Under the UAW Constitution, the Local Union automatically keeps 27% of dues money to support its expenses: staffing for representation, rent, equipment, supplies, etc. The rest of the dues is allocated to the International Union’s General Fund (26%), Strike and Defense Fund (44%), and Community Action Program (CAP) (3%). Vanderbilt graduate workers would be supported by these funds as described below. Depending on the overall financial health of the Strike and Defense Fund (if its net worth is $500M or greater), an additional allocation of dues called a “rebate” is given back to the Local and International Union. So, in typical months, the portion of dues retained by the local union is roughly 37%.

For some great examples of UAW local union helping workers defend their rights, see this summary of successful grievance handling at the University of Washington, or these stories about unionized postdocs fighting pregnancy discrimination at the University of California, or how graduate assistants at UConn took on sexual harassment.

The portion of dues allocated to the International Union would support Vanderbilt graduate workers in the following ways:

• Technical experts to help negotiate on equal terms with Vanderbilt:
• Health insurance experts who can take on the institutions consultants in order to pursue the best benefits for the best price
• Researchers who can help analyze institute finances.
• Legal advice where necessary
• Experienced negotiators to help achieve our goals, both at the bargaining table and in terms of developing an overall campaign to win a strong contract
• Support for new organizing campaigns (for example, the resources supporting VGWU, come from existing UAW members’ dues)

Political action: 3 percent of dues go toward the UAW Community Action Program (CAP), which supports progressive community and political action, including legislative and other policy advocacy on issues that matter to UAW members. For example, the UAW advocates strongly for fair, comprehensive immigration reform and expanded federal support for research funding, among other topics. [NOTE: legally, dues money cannot be used for federal campaign contributions, such as the presidential race – that money comes from members’ voluntary contributions to the UAW Voluntary Community Action Program or V-CAP, which is separate from, and in addition to, dues.]

VGWU-UAW seeks to represent any graduate workers performing teaching or research work at Vanderbilt. The union includes all Vanderbilt employees in this position. Namely, PhD Students and MD/PhD Students (in the PhD phase of their training) will be included in the bargaining unit.

With roughly 100,000 academic workers, the UAW has become a powerful organization advocating to improve conditions for international scholars and students. For years the UAW has fought hard to ensure that the contributions of guest workers are elevated and that the terms and conditions of their employment are improved. Recently the UAW helped lead the fight against Executive Orders issued by former President Trump that targeted international scholars and students.

In October of 2020, UAW Academic Workers mobilized against a proposed rule by ICE to shorten visa stays for international scholars; thousands of public comments were submitted, including by the President of the UAW International. In July of 2020, thanks to direct action by UAW Academic Workers across the country, in addition to efforts by allies at universities and in government, ICE backed down from its directive to deport international students taking online classes due to COVID-19. In 2017, the UAW International filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case challenging the Trump administration’s travel ban. The UAW also helped lead the fight to enhance the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program as an important path for international student workers to work in the US after completion of their Ph.D.

UAW academic unions also provide more resources for researchers on visas at the local level. Columbia University postdocs have used their union to fight for international researchers who could not return to the US during the COVID-19 pandemic to be able to work remotely and, more recently, put pressure on the Columbia administration and engaged allies in Congress to support researchers stranded abroad.

International student workers have the same legal right to join a union as US citizens. International student workers have been instrumental in organizing and running the University of California student researchers union (UAW Local 2865) and the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC-UAW Local 2710). Unionization can result in protections that are especially valuable for international academic employees.

Visa requirements in no way compromise any student worker’s right to belong to a union in a US workplace. No academic union members have ever reported any complications arising from being both an International researcher and a unionized employee.

We have not seen this happen at other institutions. Because all union decisions will be made by student workers, we will collectively decide what to ask for in bargaining at Vanderbilti and, ultimately, vote whether to approve any agreement as a contract.

And as a union we will have greater access to Vanderbilt’s financial information that affects student workers, which will make it possible for us to be well-informed and conscientious as we engage in bargaining. 

Both the student workers and the administration have to agree on a contract and we all share an interest in preserving the quality of research happening at Vanderbilt. Collective bargaining simply means we can negotiate on equal footing in order to hold Vanderbilt more accountable to do the best it can do.

Once a union is formed, Vanderbilt cannot unilaterally alter any terms and conditions of employment – including pay and benefits. Instead, changes to pay and benefits and other terms and conditions of employment are subject to collective bargaining, through which Vanderbiltadministrators must negotiate in good faith with student workers, and student workers will democratically approve a binding, enforceable contract containing those terms and conditions.

The length of time necessary to negotiate a strong first contract has depended on the strength of the campaign and the willingness of the employer to bargain in good faith. Vanderbilt could help ensure a timely process by agreeing on a fair and efficient timeframe with regularly scheduled bargaining sessions and a strong commitment to reaching a fair agreement. 

At other major research institutions where student workers have formed unions, student workers have been able to negotiate significant improvements despite facing opposition from their employers. Postdocs at Columbia University, University of Connecticut, University of Washington, and University of California negotiated for 16 months, 13 months, 13 months, and 18 months respectively. But it is also possible to negotiate much more quickly. For example, with a serious commitment to reach a fair agreement by the administration, 4,000 student employees at the University of Washington negotiated their first contract in just under two months.

Student workers will democratically decide how we want to negotiate pay, but no academic worker contract has ever stipulated that all workers must be paid the same. Instead, UAW academic contracts have established minimum rights on different aspects of researcher working conditions, while preserving the ability of PIs and student workers to negotiate above those minimums.

At both Columbia and the University of California, for example, student workers negotiated pay scales that guarantee minimum stipends but stipulate that the institution may pay more.

Currently, the Vanderbilt administration determines Student researcher pay rates and benefits unilaterally, and those rates – as well as projected increases – can be factored into grant proposals to agencies like the NIH. With collective bargaining, we would negotiate as equals with Vanderbilt over improvements to our pay rates, which would continue to be factored into grant proposals. Student researchers at Columbia University, University of Washington, and University of California, have used this process to negotiate guaranteed annual increases to their pay rates through collective bargaining.

As a union, student workers will be negotiating with the institute, not with our PIs and supervisors, because it is the institute’s policies that define the conditions of our employment. Moreover, student workers will set the bargaining agenda and decide what improvements to prioritize in collective bargaining.

A union contract would only create limitations if democratically decided by student workers. And forming a union would mean that Vanderbilt administration cannot make unilateral changes to working conditions that Vanderbilt student workers want to preserve. 

With a union, all union decisions – including the decision about whether or not to strike – will be made democratically by bargaining unit researchers. With a union, researchers will collectively decide what to ask for in bargaining and whether or not a strike is necessary.

A strike is a very powerful tool for unionized workers, but a strike would only occur if union members decide a strike is necessary. The decision to strike is made collectively; under the UAW Constitution, two-thirds of workers participating in a strike authorization vote must vote yes in order to authorize a strike. While a strike is most effective if we all participate, it is an individual decision whether or not to do so.

While strikes are rare, it is not uncommon that workers decide it is necessary to prepare for a possible strike in order to convince a university to reach a reasonable agreement during negotiations. At the University of California, for example, the academic researcher union in UAW Local 5810, reached an agreement with the administration after a majority of researchers voted to authorize a strike. In 2014, the NYU teaching assistant student union, GSOC-UAW Local 2110, reached an agreement with NYU after a majority of graduate employees authorized the bargaining committee to call a strike if they deemed one necessary. Columbia postdocs won their first contract shortly after hundreds of postdocs informed the administration that they would start preparing for a strike authorization vote if Columbia did not make greater progress in contract negotiations.

In 2021, in response to stalled contract negotiations, 96% of voting GSOC members authorized the bargaining committee to set a strike deadline, and GSOC members went on strike for three weeks at the end of spring semester before a tentative agreement was reached. The resulting contract, ratified by 99% of GSOC voters, included a 30% increase in the rate for hourly workers and a significant expansion of health and childcare benefits.

In the fall of 2022, 48,000 UC academic workers including student researchers, postdocs, and academic researchers went on strike to win improvements to pay, benefits, and workplace rights. Student researchers, academic researchers, and postdocs voted to ratify their contracts by 69%, 79.5%, and 89.4% respectively.