UNLV graduate student worker Evelyn Airam speaks during a news conference Thursday at the Nevada System of Higher Education offices. UNLV graduate student workers, supported by the United Auto Workers, brought signed letters from the majority of both Nevada legislative chambers showing support for the unionization.
Organizers behind a push from college graduate assistants in Nevada to unionize say they have the support of Nevada lawmakers.
They say at least 27 Assembly members and 12 state senators signed a letter urging the Nevada System of Higher Education to recognize the union and “enshrine a fair and enforceable collective bargaining framework” like what the system’s classified employees have. The letters were submitted Thursday.
The lawmakers said in the letter that they “enthusiastically support” the students’ decision to “improve their working conditions and their students’ learning conditions.”
They added that recognizing the union “will ensure that NSHE’s instructional and research missions can continue without disruptions and that graduate assistants have a seat at the table to help the university continue to live up to its values for its students and employees.”
“We are standing in support of their efforts to gain a fair and just workplace,” state Sen. Fabian Doñate, D-Las Vegas said. “These student workers — many of whom are teachers, researchers and contributors to the very foundation of the university that’s across the street — are not asking for handouts. They’re asking for respect and recognition for their invaluable contributions. They’re demanding a livable wage, improved benefits and the basic dignity that they often do not receive.”
Graduate assistants at UNLV, UNR and the Desert Research Institute have sought to organize through the Nevada Graduate Student Workers, operating under the United Auto Workers union.
In November, about 20 graduate students met with UNLV President Keith Whitfield and NSHE Chancellor Patricia Charlton. They also delivered a letter announcing their intent to form a union.
At least 1,500 graduate student workers signed union authorization cards across UNR, UNLV and the Desert Research Institute.
Evelyn Airam, a graduate research assistant in UNLV’s School of Integrated Health Sciences, said the graduate assistants received a letter from Charlton on Tuesday in which the chancellor “attempts to evade responsibility for respecting our democratic choice to form a union, suggesting that (graduate assistants) should instead ‘explore potential solutions outside of collective bargaining setting.’ ”
In a statement to the Sun, the Nevada System of Higher Education said that neither the chancellor nor university presidents were able to formally recognize the union or negotiate a bargaining agreement with the graduate assistants.
The Legislature would have to ensure the Nevada System of Higher Education had “the necessary financial resources” for concerns such as pay and benefits, which would require additional funding.
“The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) values the vital contributions graduate assistants make to the academic and research missions of our institutions,” NSHE said in a statement to the Sun. “NSHE is committed to fostering a collaborative environment and welcomes meaningful discussions with graduate assistants to understand their concerns and explore solutions outside of collective bargaining.”
Graduate assistant stipends at UNLV increased last fall after the approval of funding during the 2023 legislative session.
UNLV will receive more than $8 million by 2026 to bump state-funded graduate assistant stipends and over $6 million to grow the number of state-funded doctoral graduate assistantships, the university reported last summer.
The amount of a graduate assistant stipend depends on the college and position involved, according to UNLV’s website.
A graduate assistant earning a master’s degree may earn $17,000 for a full academic year, while someone working toward a doctorate in public policy may earn $21,500.
One of the highest stipends is $22,000 for doctoral assistants in programs such as computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil and environmental engineering.
But as the price of rent and other costs continue to rise, graduate assistants said the one-time stipend boosts are not enough.
They also don’t reflect the true scope of the job, they added.
Reina Benefiel, a graduate assistant in UNLV’s School of Life Sciences, shared her experiences of “exploitative working conditions,” such as working 12 to 14 hours a day in the laboratories on campus, along with her teaching responsibilities.
“There’s nothing preventing supervisors right now from creating a hostile environment in which (graduate assistants) are expected to continue to sacrifice their time and well-being, both physical and mental, and that really needs to change urgently,” Benefiel said. “The R-1 status — research status — of this institution is built on the accomplishments of graduate workers, and it’s the graduate students who have the power to improve this institution even further.”
At least a dozen graduate student workers showed up Thursday outside of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Las Vegas office on Maryland Parkway to deliver the signed union authorization cards and letters from both legislative chambers in support of unionization efforts.
They were supported by Doñate and Susie Martinez, executive secretary-treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO.
“Graduate assistants are the backbone of teaching and research at (the university), yet too many of us are struggling in the workplace while being expected to uphold the academic and research excellence the university prides itself on,” Airam said. “Together, graduate assistants and our legislative allies, we’re sending a clear message to NSHE that it is time to recognize our union and come to the bargaining table. We will not stop.
This is our future, and we will fight for it until the end.” grace.darocha@gmgvegas. com / 702-948-7854 / @gracedarocha