UW grad students get 36% raise as academic unions gain traction
Inflation and increasing reliance on non-tenured faculty are driving student employees to unionize in Washington and across the country.
written by Ashley Yu for Crosscut PBS
Last month, the UAW 4121 and the UW agreed on a contract that included a significant pay increase for 6,000 academic student employees, graduate students who teach classes, conduct research and do other significant work at the university. The contract settlement followed a one-day strike that impacted academic operations at the UW, including class cancellations, tenured professors acting as substitutes, and the rescheduling or canceling of exams.
"The UW strike reflects both nationwide trends in higher institution employment and a surge in union bargaining power on university campuses," said Moon-Ho Jung, Professor of History at the UW and Chair of the UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies.