Brandeis graduate students reach labor deal with college
Graduate students at Brandeis University have reached their first labor deal with the school’s administration.
A tentative three-year contract announced yesterday would increase pay for graduate teaching assistants by up to 56 percent over the life of the agreement.
It’s believed to be the first labor contract for graduate students at a private university since federal officials gave them the right to unionize in 2016.
Brandeis graduate student Ben Kreider says student workers are now “being recognized for the valuable work that we do.”
School officials say they’re pleased to have a tentative deal “after one year of hard work.”
The agreement still must be approved by the union.
Harvard University announced in May that it will negotiate with its newly unionized graduate students. Columbia University’s administration has said it will not.
“Our teaching conditions are our students’ learning conditions. We want to be paid fairly for the jobs we do, and it’s important to be able to safely deal with conflicts in the workplace: both on behalf of our students and for ourselves,” said Kalee Hall, a graduate student studying English at Brandeis. “We are committed to making Brandeis better, and the Administration is too. This contract shows how we can make Brandeis better by all working together and negotiating.”