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The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition at Indiana University at Bloomington, which is affiliated with the United Electrical Workers, went on strike Wednesday, seeking voluntary union recognition and a collective bargaining agreement. Of primary concern to these graduate assistants is a wage increase, with strikers saying that minimum graduate stipends have hovered around $18,000 for too long. Other goals are increased benefits, stronger grievance procedures and more protections for international students.
The university said in a statement, “We are deeply disappointed that a minority of our more than 10,000 graduate students, and 2,500 student academic appointees, have decided to engage in a strike which specifically targets undergraduate instruction. This is especially troubling after our new provost and other academic leaders from each of our schools engaged with many graduate students at numerous listening sessions over the past month and a half to learn about their issues. As a result, a new minimum stipend was implemented, and all student academic appointees were given 5 percent raises.”
