Our strike for a fair union election process began April 21st and lasted through our May 16th Day of Action at the U of R commencement ceremony, after which we declared a pause to regroup, reflect, and discuss next steps. 

The U of R administration, their union-busting legal counsel, and their billionaire trustees are counting on us losing steam. But the show of solidarity among graduate workers, city and state representatives, local leaders, fellow workers and labor rights advocates during the strike and since have made us stronger and all the more certain that we are, in fact, committed to the right thing (despite what billionaire UR Board of Trustees Chair and commencement speaker Rich Handler would like to believe). While we have not yet won a path to a formally recognized union, we still have much to celebrate. We stood up for our colleagues in the face of illegal retaliation, were greeted by an outpouring of support from the Rochester community, and kept one another safe from firing and legal repercussions—all while drawing attention in the press, through numerous demonstrations, and via the picket to our bosses’ attacks on our rights. By striking for weeks, we have proven that we are more than capable of standing up for our colleagues—and if it is called for, we have little to fear by doing so again.

In the months since our strike, and in the absence of any response from the UR administration, UR trustee Rich Handler has been enjoying his new super yacht, and we grad workers have been working our side jobs, preparing for our classes, continuing our research, providing mutual aid in whatever ways we can—and compiling this strike recap. In this recap, you’ll find key facts and resources on the strike, before, during, and after. We reiterate that graduate workers are not going anywhere—we will not give up until the administration gives us a democratic process to form our union, and we will not stop advocating for better treatment and compensation.