UMaine Graduate Workers Hold Sit-In at UMaine President's "State of the University" Address

PHOTO: UMaine Grad Workers protesting on Thursday.

Members of the University of Maine Graduate Workers Union (UMGWU-UAW) held a sit-in on UMaine President Ferrini-Mundy’s State of the University address on Thursday to call attention to UMaine System refusal to commit to protections for international grad worker programming.

"UMaine’s international grad workers deserve a guarantee that support for visas, orientations, relocation, taxes, and cultural programs will not go away. Our simple demand is that the UMS agree to negotiate over the consequences of cuts to these services because UMaine’s international grad workers need support now more than ever!"

UMGWU has been in negotiations for a first contract with the University of Maine since winning official union recognition in October, 2023.  A union spokesperson said that UMS still refuses to guarantee that resources and programming for international workers will continue, and they want to reserve the right to unilaterally reduce or cut essential programs, regardless of how this impacts our international community.

"We continue to demand that UMS agrees to negotiate over the consequences of cuts to services for international workers," said Andrea Tirrell, a research assistant studying ecology and environmental studies. "Our international graduate workers need this support now more than ever."

The union has been able to negotiate a protocol that informs and protects international graduate workers if ICE or other outside law enforcement enters UMaine System property.The grad workers and UMaine have reached tentative agreements on several other non-economic articles, but still have not reached agreement on wages, insurance and other economic provisions. 
 

Union member Andrea Tirrell said that the students have done in-depth research comparing compensation between UMaine graduate workers and grad workers at other institutions and found the University of Maine System is "lagging behind nearly all peer institutions." She noted that the University of Vermont and University of New Hampshire cover 100 percent of graduate worker health insurance premiums, while individual UMaine graduate workers pay $1,578 for their insurance premiums each year. UMaine grad workers also have significantly lower minimum pay – many of them earn $17,000 per year or less.

"In order to become competitive amongst peer universities, the University of Maine System needs to agree to protections and improvements to the working conditions of its graduate workers," said Tirrell. "We are continuing to stand up and use our collective power across the university system to fight for a fair contract NOW!"

Tirrell said that the union has made " substantial progress on non-economic issues," including tentative agreements on Health & Safety, Non-Discrimination and Workplace Materials articles. The agreements include protections against "power-based harassment" (i.e., bullying) and sexual harassment and usable First Aid Kits in places in work spaces, which was a major demand when union members joined Grad Workers on a march to UMaine's President's office at Labor Summer Institute.

"A common and alarming trend in higher education is to prohibit collective bargaining agreements from addressing issues like sexual harassment because it also falls under Title IX – we did not agree to any such carve-out," said Tirrell. "Notably, we also won 365 days to file harassment grievances. These wins are the result of nearly a year of collective pressure from our Union and our allies and shows that when we fight together, we win!"