Graduate Assistants at UConn have been unionized since 2015. The Graduate Employee Union represents GAs to the university administration and aims to improve our working conditions. Because we are a community who are willing to stand up for each other, we have a voice, and we are taken seriously as employees, not only as students.
Our original gains in our 2015 contract guaranteed us:
- a fantastic health insurance plan
- reduction of student fees and international fees
- a raise of 3% per year
- guaranteed Area 2 parking closer to campus at a sliding scale rate
- a unified procedure for dealing with incidences ranging from too much workload to sexual harassment
- child care reimbursement and breast-feeding infrastructure
Our current contract has secured us, in addition to the above:
- a 4% annual stipend increase over the first 2 years of the contract, 3.5% after
- increased our fee waivers from $1468 to $1552 ($2252 for international GAs) per year
- maintain our health insurance program at a rate of $260 for the next two years, 280 for the third and fourth year
- new protections against bullying and power-based harassment (not just racial or sexual discrimination protections)
- new article on International GA rights
- increased Family-Friendly Benefits (Articles 22-23)
- remote work accommodation protections
- improved housing availability
- expansion on holidays, including cultural holidays not currently celebrated by the university (including recognition of Juneteenth)
As Graduate Assistants at UConn, we are excited to have a GA run organization looking out for our interests. If you’d like to get involved, attend membership meetings, or have any questions or concerns, please contact the stewards in your district (we are district 3), e.g. Sarah or email the union directly at uconngradunion@gmail.com.
When joining our department, please strongly consider joining the union. To sign a membership card, click here (or sign up during orientation). Obligations include a $10 initiation fee and union dues of 1.095 % of your biweekly paycheck, which are taken out each pay period before tax.
Being a card carrying member of the union shows the University that we care about this organization and we want it to speak on our behalf!