(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Virginia Tech: Grad Students and Staff Unionize!! [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-05 Tomorrow, September 6th, members of the United Campus Workers of Virginia Tech (UCW-VT) and the Virginia Tech Graduate Labor Union (VT-GLU) will hold a rally on the Blacksburg campus to celebrate the formation of their unions. Despite working underground for the past 3 years, students and staff pressed their case with the university for a cost of living increase that will begin this fall. The rally will be an opportunity to attract more members and publicize the importance of uniting to improve working and learning conditions at the university. According to The Cardinal News, the unions have a potential membership of 20,000 workers. VT grad students and staff form labor unions Several issues are at the forefront of the unions but cost of living and greater contract stability are the predominant ones. Since 2017, the Virginia Tech administration has performed at least 3 task force reports on Graduate Education, Mental Health, and Food Security of both grad and undergrad students. VT Task Force Reports. Many of the links were broken and the final report for the Task Force on Mental Health was not found. Regardless, the Virginia Tech Food Access and Security Study done in 2019 showed that about 7% of graduate students a VT were food insecure. VT student food insecurity However, the survey response rate for that study was only 9.4% and other studies performed by The Hope Center and the US Government Accounting Office found that the number of food insecure students is actually closer to 40%. Students entering grad school with undergraduate debt were far more likely to skip meals. Virginia Tech helpfully pointed out that the students could access a food pantry, but that’s pathetic given that VT has an annual budget of $1.5B and research expenditures approaching $600M. That $600M, by the way, is made on the labor of the same graduate students and staff members who have recently unionized. A lot of people may claim that it’s a ‘privilege’ to earn a stipend while attending graduate school. However, prior to this fall, the average graduate student earned ~$28K/year and the average cost of living in Blacksburg is $33K/year (rent, food, transportation, insurance, utilities). Keep in mind, grad students still have to pay their tuition with this stipend — meaning that a lot of their stipend goes right back to VT. Graduate students earn stipends from either teaching or performing research. Usually, a student will teach one semester and perform research the next. However, not all advisors are well-funded and some grad students find themselves teaching BOTH semesters while also performing the research needed to meet their degree qualifications. It leaves very little time to work a part-time job (another suggestion from the VT Task Force)! It’s my hope that the Virginia Tech unions continue to work together effectively to improve conditions at the university. The administration seems to be aware that they have a problem attracting and retaining talent and having a voice to bring union concerns to school could make things better. Task Force Recommendations. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/5/2191642/-Virginia-Tech-Grad-Students-and-Staff-Unionize Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/