FAQ

A union is a group of people who work together to make their working conditions better. Unions operate democratically rather than relying on small groups of activists and often operate as a legal entity with collective bargaining powers. Our goal is for every Virginia Tech graduate worker to become a Graduate Labor Union member and work with us to make effective change.

Graduate unions represent graduate student workers at more than 100 public and private universities in the United States including at American University, Boston University, Brown University, the University of California, Columbia University, the University of Connecticut, Cornell University, Dartmouth University, Duke University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Oregon State University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Rhode Island, Rutgers University, the University of South Florida, Stanford University, Temple University, the University of Washington, William and Mary University, Yale University, the University of Wisconsin, and more! The list of graduate student unions continues to grow each year.

All Virginia Tech graduate and professional students and candidates who are employed by the University are eligible to become active members. This includes graduate students who have unrelated jobs for the University, as well as those on fellowships whose pay or living expenses are contingent on them performing labor for the University.

Yes, international students can join the Union. International students have the same rights to a union as domestic students. Students on F-1 and J-1 visas are barred from participation in “politics”–this means students on these visas cannot vote in United States elections, donate money to, or work for United States political candidates unless the work is part of a degree program. However, international students can still participate in a union, and they regularly do at other universities. International students are an essential part of our graduate community and our union. Regardless of your immigration status, it is illegal for you to face retaliation for your participation in a union. While many members of the Graduate Labor Union are international students, we respect that you may want to wait and see what the Union does before joining. We are fighting for your rights as much as anyone else’s.

Our Union seeks to achieve a living wage for all graduate students, to eliminate graduate student fees, and to establish a powerful and effective grievance process that protects graduate students who are being mistreated or discriminated against by the University. We want to protect graduate students when official University processes do not. You can find a complete list of our goals and values in our bylaws or follow us on social media to keep up with our efforts.

Our dues are $15.29 per month and cover a Virginia Education Association worker (a nice lady named Theresa) who attends all our meetings, helps us stay organized, and provides strategic advice; applies for organizing grants (e.g., holding events, printing materials, food, etc.); and legal resources and liability insurance. Dues also help state and national level staff who are working to change laws for better education funding and more legal rights for unions in Virginia. We decided to join a big union for the structure, support, knowledgeable staff, and longevity. This is too much work to be a completely volunteer effort.

No. We do hope that every Union member will eventually be comfortable being loud and proud about their membership. In the meantime, we take your data privacy very seriously. The only people who will ever get lists of members will be people in the Union on a need-to-know basis. For example, your department’s Union representative will get a list of every member in the department, but will not share that list. You can read the Virginia Education Association’s full data privacy policy on their website.

A member is someone who wants to look out for other graduate students at Virginia Tech and fight for better pay, better working conditions, a safety net for people who are treated unfairly, and more. As a member you will become part of the Virginia Education and Association and the National Education Association. You will have access to their resources, benefits, and if needed, legal help. Members are expected to attend an annual all-members meeting and to abide by the VT Principles of Community and the NEA Code of Ethics for Educators.

We have a ton of ways for people to help! You can 1) become a representative of your department, affinity group, or organization 2) come to meetings to share information and help us strategize and make decisions, or talk to your Union representative 3) join a committee or run for a Board of Directors position 4) talk to other graduate students about joining the Union and the issues they care most about, 5) showing up to protests and Board of Visitors meetings, and 6) change Virginia Tech policies that relate to graduate student needs where you have influence. However involved you decide to be, remember to take care of yourself: none of us are in graduate school to learn to run a union! Avoid burnout by taking good care of yourself and setting boundaries. And don’t over-commit! It’s better to consistently do a small amount than to promise something you can’t sustainably do.

You can help the Union by supporting our call to actions–such as showing up to rallies and Board of Visitors meetings–and following us on social media. Tell your peers about us! You can also help the Union by being curious about problems you witness in your departments and across campus. Ask: why is this happening? Be curious and raise expectations for how things should be. Practice solidarity. Stand up for each other. Connect others to a Union representative and/or resources across the university.

A group of first year students from across the College of Engineering began organizing a union in Fall of 2020, in part, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In December of 2022, a representative group of 50+ graduate students from across the University voted to join the Virginia Education Association, because of the organizational, legal and financial resources available, and because of the strong Virginia Education Association presence in Montgomery County. As members of the Virginia Education Association, we join over 40,000 teachers and school support professionals from across the state, as well as the National Education Association, which is among the largest and most well-established unions in the nation.

You always have the option of cancelling your membership, and re-starting it when you have an assistantship again. To preserve your access to the Union’s resources, we encourage taking advantage of Reserve Membership. Reserve Membership shall be open to any person who 1) is on a leave of absence for at least six months from employment that qualifies the member for active membership or who 2) have held active membership in the Union but whose employment status no longer qualifies that individual for membership. If you lose your job for illegal or unfair reasons, Reserve Membership allows you to access Virginia Education Association organizational or legal resources while fighting for your job back.

These dues are a fixed annual amount, which we decided should be paid monthly over 12 months. We believe that $15.29 over 12 months is more accessible than $20.39 over 9 months. However, the Union could choose to change the dues schedule at any point by a Representative Council vote.

You can email us at vtgraduatelaborunion@gmail.com.