Reflecting on one year of unionized graduate workers
On December 16, Yale marked one year since the Local 33 UNITE HERE Graduate Worker Union contract was ratified. This union now represents students enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences serving as research assistants, with limited exceptions, and any graduate or professional student at Yale serving in a teaching capacity, as defined by the collective bargaining agreement.
The contract, which began in the spring 2024 term, introduced significant initial PhD stipend increases to address cost of living, market adjustments, and divisional alignment. Moving forward, stipends will rise by 2.5 percent each year throughout the contract’s term, which extends through July 31, 2028. PhD students will also benefit from subsidized dental and vision coverage, as well as healthcare coverage for spouses. For consistency, the Graduate School chose to apply the negotiated compensation and benefits increases to all PhD students, regardless of their union membership status at any point in time.
Under the agreement, faculty retain responsibility for overseeing curricular requirements and assessing students’ academic progress, while terms such as “employment” and “work” pertain to tasks that graduate workers perform specifically for the university’s benefit. This new contract underscores the significant contributions of graduate workers at Yale and builds on the longstanding positive working relationship that exists between the university and UNITE HERE, which also represents Yale’s service, maintenance, clerical, and technical staff through Locals 34 and 35.
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