- This topic has 59 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 3 months, 1 week ago by
.
-
Hello everyone!
What once seemed highly unlikely, namely the unionization of graduate school students used by the schools for employee-like tasks such as TA work, now seems to be a near certainty. Teaching and research assistants at Harvard will vote next month on forming the Ivy League’s first formally recognized grad student employee union.
It may be worth noting that in an election year, employers will generally do everything they can to defer the union drive hoping the next administration will be less labor friendly with its National Labor Relations Board appointments. However, with Donald Trump trailing Hillary Clinton so badly in the polls just a few short weeks from election day, it appears Harvard decided it wasn’t worth playing that card.
What do you think of this potential development? Do you think it will make Ph.D. studies more attractive? Do you think there will be a net benefit for the undergraduate students and faculty these graduate school students serve? Please share your comments below!
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Just a brief update that NJTV News reports Princeton graduate students have taken a preliminary step towards unionization by voting to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers. The article includes quotes from students against the unionization who cite how the close-knit community has been able to handle issues with the administration in the past.
This is directly compared to the much larger graduate student body at Harvard in the article and is one more reason to carefully consider fit when shortlisting your schools. Yes. We’ve seen plenty of school lists that include both schools and, while there are many good reasons to consider both, we want to make sure the selection criteria are properly thought through.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Just a brief update that Columbia graduate students voted to unionize and be represented by the UAW.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello again everyone!
Harvard Magazine is reporting that the Harvard vote on unionization is too close to call. 314 of the votes cast (less than the margin between the difference between the 1,456 who voted “no” and the 1,272 who voted “yes”) have been challenged over voter eligibility. The NLRB will now schedule hearings to determine those voters’ eligibility.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Just another of our occasional updates that we post here when we see an appropriate article in our news feed — and we remember this thread.
Georgetown University graduate students are also pushing for union representation according to the Georgetown Voice.Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Yale Daily News has an article about Local 33’s attempts to begin negotiations.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Just an update that Yale University is challenging the vote by Local 33 – Unite Here on the grounds the votes were done on a department by department basis instead of the entire graduate school as a whole. As a result, some student organizers have started a hunger strike. In what may become late night TV fodder depending on what type of media coverage this ends up receiving, Legal Insurrection is claiming the strike is purely symbolic, meaning the students “will eat when they’re hungry.”
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
We found this article in the Washington Post. According to the article, CNN’s Jake Tapper remarked, “I eat when I’m hungry too but I don’t call it a hunger strike.”
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Just an update that the University of Chicago graduate students filed a formal petition for a union election as did the undergraduate student workers at the library. The graduate students are looking to join the Illinois Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers and American Association of University Professors while the undergraduate library workers are looking to join the Teamsters.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
Just another update that 23 Yale union protesters were arrested yesterday for blocking traffic at key intersections around the New Haven, CT campus.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
Hello everyone!
MFA and Ph.D. students at the Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences could find out as early as today (May 18, 2017) if they received enough votes to form a union.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.comAdmissionsConsultants
1.800.809.0800Keep up with us on:
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.