Ryan Quinn at Inside Higher Ed reports that for a month this Spring, the University of Rochester Graduate Labor Union (GLU), a group of Ph.D. Student Workers, staged a Strike. The Workers walked off the job, demanding the University host a private Unionization Election so they could vote and win recognition of the Union - all without having to go through the Trump-era National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). But after Workers protested during the May 16th commencement ceremony, GLU Representatives told them Organizing Committee Members had voted unanimously to “pause” the Strike. Now, with Fall Semester classes starting, Organizers say they have no plans to rekindle it. “We didn’t achieve what we wanted, which was them giving us a fair process for an election,” said Katie Gregory, a seventh-year Environmental Sciences Ph.D. Worker. But, she said, “none of us consider the fight here to be over in terms of support for a Union.” George Elkind, a fourth-year Visual and Cultural Studies Ph.D. Worker, said: “We intend to continue fighting for a fair election process.” The Strike was both a carryover from an intense period of Grad Student Union activity during the Biden Administration - roughly 38% of Grad Student Workers are Unionized - and an indication of how President Trump’s return to the White House raised concerns the NLRB has become less favorable to Unions. Last year, during Biden’s Presidency, the University of Rochester and the GLU discussed plans for a private election, which both parties were amenable to. If they had reached an agreement, the NLRB - which usually handles Unionization votes at private non-profit institutions such as Rochester, wouldn’t have been involved. But after Trump retook the White House in January - and fired a Democratic NLRB Member and the Agency’s General Counsel, the University changed its tune. 

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Strike Failed to Pressure Rochester Into Non-NLRB Election