Union Facts
Before Spring break I was able to give a presentation on the benefits of unionizing at the Grad Talks event hosted by LAGSA. The entire slideshow can be viewed online, but I would like to share a few of the facts with you here as well.
NIU has salary minimums. They are different for Master’s and PhD students. A Master’s graduate assistant can expect $1789.20/mo. A PhD graduate assistant can expect $2152.50/mo. At similar universities that have graduate worker unions (UIUC and UIC), the minimum is $2689/mo. with no disparity between Master’s and PhD students. That is roughly 25% more a month than a PhD student and 30% more than a Master’s student at NIU.
On top of this, UIUC only pays 13% of all student insurance fees. UIC pays a flat rate of $280 for their student insurance. Compare this to the $1418.50 we pay at NIU per semester for student insurance.
Nearly all fees are waived for graduate assistants at UIUC and UIC. UIUC has negotiated their fees down to $364 from $1754-2056 depending on credit hours. UIC has negotiated their fees down to $774 from $1741-2187 depending on credit hours. Both have extra fees regarding international students waived as well.
Finally, many other guarantees have been negotiated from these unions ranging from standardized appointment notices well in advance of the semester to tuition waiver guarantees and paid vacation time.
All of these are done elsewhere and can be done here as long as we continue to fight for what is right. The university could not sustain itself without the graduate assistants. UIUC and UIC are either actively negotiating or will be negotiating a new contract this year, so these numbers will likely improve even further for them. We can do this as well! If you would like to know more, sign a union card, or help organize in any way, please fill out the form below. Someone that is actively organizing will reach out to you. We are always happy to accept anyone that wants to help, and you can help in whatever way works best for you!