Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions about what unionization would mean for graduate workers at the University of Rochester:
Myths
Here are some responses to myths about unionization.
Will a union negatively change my relationship with my advisor?
No. If we win a union, we will be negotiating our contract with the administration, and not our advisors. In addition, multiple studies have shown that grad unions do not affect mentoring relationships [1, 2, 3]. Also, many faculty have signed a letter calling on the administration to abstain from any anti-union tactics during our campaign.
That being said, many other graduate unions have included clauses that protect grad workers from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. This means that workers who need protection can have it, while workers who have no issues with their advisor will be completely unaffected.
Will pay increases via unionization affect the funds available to me for research?
Once we form our union, we get to negotiate with the highest levels of the university. The funding for improvements wouldn’t just come from the department or research group level – it could be funded by the university itself. Until we form our union, we will be fighting over the same limited resources internal to our own departments.
Will a graduate union negatively affect the university performance in the long-run?
No. Graduate workers at top universities across the country have been unionized for decades and their universities are still among the best in the country. Grads at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have had a union since 1969. Grads at the University of Michigan have had one since 1975. Grads across the SUNY system have had a union since 1992. The University of California has had a grad union since 2000. NYU has had one since 2013 after private universities were finally allowed to legally unionize. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford all have unions and are some of the top schools in the country.
Since many of us have to work second jobs, have financial-related stress, lack strong protections, and don’t have guaranteed time off, having a union will increase our collective well-being. And if our well-being is improved, this will translate to better research and teaching quality, since we will have less distractions and can better focus on our work.
Why can’t we just represent ourselves individually instead of having a union?
Individual representation is the current status quo. With individual representation we have no protections from bullying, discrimination, and harassment. With individual representation we have the current pay rates and benefits. With individual representation we don’t have W2 forms. By having a union we are able to collectively come together and increase our power to fight for these things. So many graduate workers across the country have already formed unions and have made huge wins.
In addition, a collective bargaining agreement will set a baseline in regard to wages and benefits for all of us. That means there will be minimums but not ceilings, as other graduate student employee unions have achieved. Consequently, there would be nothing stopping individuals from negotiating individual contracts above and beyond the baseline. Moreover, many contracts include provisions that allow grads to work as much as they want.
For instance, the University of Washington graduate student employee collective bargaining agreement states, in Article 35 Section 8, that “Workload assigned to a [graduate employee] should not in any way be construed as imposing a limit on the amount of academic work necessary for a student to make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree.”
Union contracts do not restrict work but rather safeguard grad students who feel they are overburdened or in need of support.
Is a union an outside group coming in and representing us?
It is not. A union is a democratic organization of all us graduate workers which means that we make all our decisions for ourselves. We are the ones that will vote to establish a union. We are the ones that will vote for a bargaining committee. We are the ones that will vote on our contracts. We are the ones that will vote for our leadership.
While we are working with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), we still will run our union democratically and set our own priorities and strategies. Joining SEIU just gives us access to more resources like paid organizers and increases our strength since over 1500 workers at UR are already affiliated with SEIU.
Will I be retaliated against for being involved with unionization?
No. Unionization is a protected activity for graduate workers and retaliation is illegal. For more details, feel free to read some information (here and here) from the National Labor Relations Board, which is an Agency run by the United States Federal Government.
In addition, to our knowledge, no graduate workers have ever been retaliated against for organizing their workplace.
I am an international student, will I be retaliated against being involved with unionization?
No. During our strike in the Spring of 2025, many international graduate workers struck and publicly joined the picket line. No one was retaliated against. Under the National Labor Relations Act, international graduate workers, regardless of immigration status, have the same rights regarding unions as domestic graduate workers. Retaliation is illegal. For more details, feel free to read some information (here and here) from the National Labor Relations Board, which is an Agency run by the United States Federal Government.
In addition, to our knowledge, no international graduate workers have ever been retaliated against for organizing their workplace.
Will collective bargaining result in decreased wages or decreased benefits in other areas?
No. Considering previous cases where graduate student unions have successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements, the outcome has been higher wages, improvements in health benefits, better working conditions, and more job security. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that collective bargaining will lead to improvements in the quality and quantity of stipends and benefits for graduate student workers.
We are not aware of any specific examples where collective bargaining has resulted in a reduction in stipends and benefits for graduate student workers in the US. Furthermore, neither you nor we will vote in favor of a contract that is detrimental to us!
Will unionizing negatively affect off-site research activities such as conferences, field trips, or remote research?
No. Graduate student unions in other universities have negotiated for travel and lodging support to attend conferences, access to funding for conference attendance, and opportunities to present their research. Furthermore, graduate student unions have negotiated for increased access to research resources such as lab equipment, databases, and more support for research and writing activities.
Based on previous experiences in the US, it is reasonable to expect improvements in benefits related to professional development and research activities that can support graduate students in their off-site research activities.
Will unionizing affect my student tax exemption, causing me to pay FICA taxes?
No. The existence or absence of a collective bargaining agreement for graduate student employees has no bearing on whether or not such graduate student employees will pay FICA taxes. FICA status is determined by the number of credits enrolled by student workers and other considerations related to their employment, not by the presence of a collective bargaining agreement (please see Revenue Procedure 2005-11 safe harbor guidelines for more information). This has been proven by numerous universities, such as Columbia University, University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University, University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of California, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois System, Montana State University, University of Oregon, University of Iowa, and many others, where graduate assistants have collective bargaining rights and are exempt from FICA taxes. The same is true for international graduate student workers. In the U.S., international students pay taxes based on residency and visa status and are treated as non-resident aliens for this purpose. Being unionized or under a bargaining contract won’t change your residency and visa status, and will continue paying taxes as we do now.
You can find all this information on the IRS website here.
Will I be forced to go on strike?
No. When we went on strike in Spring of 2025, we only did so after holding a vote where 90% of graduate workers who voted authorized a strike. This was a decision graduate workers made collectively. How and in what ways different departments struck was widely discussed in each department. This strike was called to push the University of Rochester to recognize our union. While that has not yet happened, we are continuing this fight until we win our union.
Will working through a non-academic third party (the graduate employees union affiliated with SEIU) could affect future engagement and collaboration with the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA)?
No. There isn’t a non-academic third party. We, the graduate student workers, are the union. We are the ones who make the key strategic decisions, determine our priorities for bargaining, and vote to approve a contract.
Secondly, there is no reason to assume that the Graduate Student Association would be negatively impacted or dissolved. GSAs and unions have complementary and collaborative roles. In fact, GSAs at many other universities have endorsed their graduate employee unionization efforts (see Boston University, Yale, Harvard).
Is our unionization campaign preventing me from getting a raise?
No! Many grads have received raises already, and at the start of this semester (Fall 2025) the minimum stipend has been raised. This would not have happened without graduate workers organizing and taking action together.
International Graduate Workers
Here are some answers to questions pertaining to international graduate workers.
How would reclassification and resultant shift to W2 affect the immigration status of F1/J1 international students as we are employed under our visa status?
Suppose there is a move to classify international students to a W-2 status. In that case, there is no impact on the F/J immigration status, as this would be considered on-campus employment for immigration purposes.
How will reclassification to employees impact international students?
Receiving W-2 income would inherently grant workers SSNs because you have to have an SSN to get a W-2. The tax burden for international students depends on the individual treaties between the U.S. and those countries, but in looking at nations like India, their tax should remain the same. China differentiates between awarded income for education vs employment, so those students may have to pay taxes on amounts over a certain threshold.
Would any legal/immigration issues come with the reclassification of international students?
There are no immigration issues with any future reclassification.
I am an international student, will I be retaliated against being involved with unionization?
No. Under the National Labor Relations Act, international graduate workers, regardless of immigration status, have the same rights regarding unions as domestic graduate workers. Retaliation is illegal. For more details, feel free to read some information (here and here) from the National Labor Relations Board, which is an Agency run by the United States Federal Government.
In addition, to our knowledge, no international graduate workers have ever been retaliated against for organizing their workplace.
Taxes
We want to share the outcome of our meeting with Dr. Emily Roberts, founder of Personal Finance for PhDs, who worked with grads at many universities and has a solid understanding of the unique tax requirements for grad students. While our efforts have shifted towards winning a union, we are still committed to fighting to change our tax form to a W-2 which would win social security numbers for international students in our contract. This shift towards a union has come after the university administration failed to act on grad student pleas for reclassification. Only a union will give us the power to change our tax form.
How would unionization affect graduate student stipends from fellowships and grants outside the university?
These stipends would be unaffected by reclassification. Recipients of fellowships and grants who are receiving external funding would stay “non-employees.” In the case of unionization, that would mean they could still be considered in contract negotiations. There is precedent for this in the University of California system, where unions asked for wages increases for students on fellowships.
If a union was won and fought for grads being reclassified as W-2 Employees, does that mean we’d get all the same benefits as any other worker (i.e. investment accounts like 401ks)?
The UR offers 403Bs, which are the non-profit equivalent of 401ks. These retirement benefits are almost never offered to graduate students. Even when they are granted, they are usually very underutilized due to students being low-income earners who can’t always afford additional investment.