Faculty and Staff Allies
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| Professor Mark A. Graber, Government and Politics |
| Given the combination of substandard benefits and uncertain future job prospects, unionizing Maryland graduate students is almost certainly the only means by which they will obtain fair compensation for demanding work. |
| Professor Emeritus Charles E. Butterworth, Government and Politics |
| Good will on the part of administrators and responsible officials might make it unnecessary for graduate student to organize via a union to press for better working conditions and wages, but experience shows that good will is lacking. |
| Assistant Professor Vibha Sazawal, Computer Science |
While in graduate school, I was a member of the TA and RA union at the University of Washington. The union, GSEAC, is affiliated with UAW and is UAW Local 4121. You can learn about our history here: http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/uwunions/gseac.htm
There were many nice features about our collective bargaining agreement. The agreement included minimum salaries and health insurance. But definitely the most important part of the contract was the grievance procedures. Before the union, TAs and RAs had few ways to resolve problems. Often TAs and RAs were told that the person to contact was the very supervisor who was causing the problems! With the contract, the TA/RA had a lot more options. Sometimes it would be sufficient for a union representative to have a friendly chat with the supervisor on behalf of the TA/RA, without even filing a formal grievance. The threat of a formal grievance was enough to get the ball rolling on resolution. |
| Nicole Parker, Executive Administrative Assistant, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics |
| Sabeth Scarbrough, Administrative Assistant II, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics |
Faculty and staff:
Let us add your name to our growing list of Faculty and Staff Allies. Simply send an email indicating your support to mtr AT mtrumd DOT org with the following information:
Name:
Department:
Position:
Please include the following text:
"I give MTR permission to list my name on their list of faculty/staff allies." Statement (if so desired):
We will post your name on our online list of faculty/staff allies. Also, if you want a statement, in addition to your name, to be included on the web site, please include the following text in your statement:.
"I give MTR permission to use my statement publicly."
If you're interested, please contact mtrATmtrumdDOTorg.