After reaching a pre-election agreement with Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees over the summer, the University has been working with the student group to carry out the terms of the agreement. In early August, the University notified 1,200 graduate students that their personally identifiable information would be sent to Martin Scheinman of Scheinman Arbitration and Mediation Services following a subpoena the University received from the arbitrator, which was chosen by the American Arbitration Association. The information will be used by SUGSE and the American Federation of Teachers — the designated union affiliate organization, should unionization occur — for “internal union administration,” according to the Office of the Provost’s website.
As SUGSE prepares for potential unionization this semester, graduate students at other universities across the country remain at various stages in their own unionization processes. Graduate students at Harvard recently succeeded in forming a union, while graduate students at Columbia continue to face opposition from the administration. Below, The Herald takes a look at the events that have shaped SUGSE’s pursuit of an election.
