Labor & Unionization

Graduate student labor ranks have swelled since 2020, and they joined faculty and other university workers in historic strikes. But the coming Republican federal takeover could threaten that growth.

The university didn’t announce its decision in a news release and hasn’t fully explained it, but two deans blamed a new grad workers’ union contract for the cutbacks to a dozen programs including English, history and sociology.

The order means that tens of thousands of college and university staffers are no longer guaranteed either a raise or overtime benefits.

Todd Wolfson is pushing the century-old American Association of University Professors to fight higher ed’s detractors and “organize every campus.” But critics say the venerable organization is straying from its roots.

The university’s contingent teachers unionized in the spring. Before they sign their first agreement, they want administrators to stop limiting their contract renewals.