Help academic student employees fight back!

Submit comments opposing Trump NLRB’s proposal to take away their bargaining rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 2, 2019) — The Trump-appointed majority on the National Labor Relations Board has been pursuing an ambitious anti-labor agenda. It includes new regulations to weaken joint employer liability so companies aren’t responsible for their franchisers’ labor violations, restricting workers’ access to company property for picketing, and making it easier to decertify unions.

The NLRB’s latest anti-labor proposal is to exclude graduate student teachers and teaching assistants from federal labor protections. The NLRB wants to take away graduate student workers’ right to join together and bargain collectively.

A coalition of unions that includes AFT, UNITE HERE, UAW and SEIU has launched a campaign to stop the proposed rules from being adopted, and is asking all union organizations and members to submit comments in opposition to this proposal. The NLRB just announced it is extending the comment deadline until Jan. 15, 2020.

“The goal is to reinforce that (a) Research and Teaching Assistants, Tutors, and Graders — regardless of whether they are graduate or undergraduate students — are employees whose work creates tremendous value for the university and (b) collective bargaining is the only way to equalize the power relationship between student employees and universities,” writes UAW Local 4121 in its call to action.

TAKE A STAND — Join thousands of student employees and their supporters in demanding respect and fairness at work. Please submit comments in opposition to this pernicious rule by using the web-form at www.gradsfightback.org.

The best comments are unique. When you submit comments, consider answering one or more of these questions:

► What kind of work do you do? How do you think academic student employees advance their colleges’ and universities’ research or teaching missions?

► How do you and other workers benefit from collective bargaining? (e.g. improved benefits, compensation, workplace rights, better protection against discrimination and harassment)

► Or click here for additional ideas.

Thank you for standing up to protect the basic rights of these hard-working academic employees.