In a historic move, graduate fellows at Brown are seeking recognition as part of the Graduate Labor Organization, the union representing graduate student employees.
On Monday morning, leaders from RIFT-AFT Local 6516, GLO’s parent group, sent a message to University officials announcing the graduate fellows’ intent to unionize, according to communications obtained by The Herald.
The move appears to be the first of its kind at a private U.S. institution of higher education, something union organizers argue is made possible by a novel Rhode Island law passed in August that explicitly codifies the right of graduate student employees — including fellows not working as teaching or research assistants — to unionize.
Graduate fellows are students who receive stipend funding unrelated to whether or not they officially work as research or teaching assistants. The University’s current contract with GLO includes only graduate student employees recognized by the National Labor Relations Board, many of whom are teaching or research assistants.
Fellows are not currently recognized at the federal level, according to Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO branch, which advocated for the bill’s passage. “This is exactly why we did it: to make sure that workers who don’t have the right to organize federally can organize in the state,” Crowley said in an interview with The Herald.
Now, the state law will be tested for the first time, Crowley said.
In a memo sent to University administrators on Monday morning, leaders of Local 6516 requested that Brown voluntarily recognize the graduate fellow unionization as part of GLO.
They wrote in the memo that more than 70% of graduate fellows have indicated they wish to be represented by the union and that Local 6516 intends to incorporate graduate fellows into the contract GLO is currently negotiating instead of forming a separate unit.
In an interview with The Herald, Local 6516 President Michael Ziegler GS said that the local union has been organizing graduate fellows since the fall semester. He declined to share the exact number of graduate fellows who have indicated they wish to join the union, but he wrote that the number is “in the hundreds” in a message to The Herald.
Graduate fellows currently receive the same compensation and benefits as other graduate student employees, as outlined in a side letter not part of GLO’s primary collective bargaining agreement. But fellows do not have protections guaranteed by the union, such as the ability to formally file grievances with the University, said Jasper Cattell GS, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the sociology department and Local 6516’s political director.
Cattell said that in previous negotiations with the University, the administration suggested fellows receive a different stipend than graduate student employees already recognized by the contract. “Fellows being properly incorporated into the union and covered by that contract means that they would never have to worry about that,” he said.
When fellows are working on their dissertations, Ziegler said, even if they are not doing direct labor for the University, they are still producing research that will ultimately benefit the University because the Brown name will be attached to the work. Ziegler added that most graduate students are on fellowship for part of their time in their programs.
According to Cattell, fellows often complete research tasks, even if they are not officially classified as research assistants.
“We may be doing work that results in presentations or publications or other academic outputs that enhances the stature of our departments,” Cattell said. “Sometimes that work can actually be basically identical, depending on whether you’re a research assistant or a fellow.”
Adit Sabnis GS, a fourth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience, has been on a fellowship for the last two years at Brown, but he was not during his second year.
“People go in and out of fellowship, and it kind of just has to do with where the money is coming from,” said Sabnis, who is the communications chair for Local 6516.
The University did not immediately respond to The Herald’s request for comment on Monday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
James Libresco is a senior staff writer covering staff & student labor. He is a first-year student from Alexandria, Va. studying political science and contemplative studies. In his free time, he can be found playing basketball, meditating, or losing in Among Us.
Emily Feil is a university news and metro editor covering staff & student labor and RISD. She is from Long Beach, NY and plans to concentrate in English and international & public affairs. In her free time, she can be found watching bad TV and reading good books.
