ELECTION FAQ

See our union drive page at dukegradunion.org/hub for the most up to date information on election logistics.

We can bargain for workplace improvements ranging from cost of living adjustments to harassment and discrimination protections. Our five broad guiding contract issues are:

-A protected living wage. Indexed to inflation, so we know what to expect.

-Workplace equity. Protection from harassment and discrimination, third party adjudication.

-International student protections, including a visa fund, language equity, etc.

-Comprehensive healthcare. Including full dental and vision coverage.

-A seat at the table. A direct line of communication to hear our needs and address them.

The contract we win will depend directly on our organizing strength, our ability to get our peers together to make strong demands at the bargaining table. For more inspiration, check out this one-pager of Harvard’s most recent contract. You can find more information about Harvard’s contract here. While you’re at it, check out resources on Brown Graduate Labor Organization’s contract and Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees’ contract too!

45k grads have begun the process of unionizing this year alone. This is a movement, and one we’re proud to be a part of. And they’re proud to stand with us!

While it is unfortunate the administration has chosen this path, this email is entirely predictable. Duke has a history of egregious and often illegal union busting. These are common tactics at employers from Amazon to Starbucks, and the language in that email came directly from the PR consultants that write for all of them. Duke didn’t even bother to make a new website, recycling language from previous campaigns. Look for the same tired old tactics, and play union busting bingo with us here. We’re focused on the issues that matter!

We’ve received strong statements of support from GPSG, the Durham City Council, Duke Faculty, and far more. This is a historic movement for our community: we would be the first graduate union at a private university in the South, and one of the largest bargaining units in North Carolina. We’re particularly proud of all the support from other graduate unions across the country, who are proud to support us in gaining the same rights under recognition that they currently enjoy.

We’re a democratically run organization. We have elected officers, working groups to carry out day to day operations (like making this website), regular meetings, and socials. The backbone of the union is simple: talking to our peers, one on one, and hearing what matters in our workplace. Developing those relationships is everything for our success. Check out our constitution here, and send us an email to get plugged in.

Employer retaliation against union activities is absolutely illegal (read more from the NLRB here). The best way to protect against arbitrary and unfair discipline at the hands of our employer is with a union. Graduate unions have won many protections along these lines , including visa protections for international students.

Employer recognition gives us a few things we don’t already have:

-A legal requirement that Duke bargain with us in good faith

-The contract that comes from this negotiation

-Other legal rights under labor law which can be exercised by choice at any time, including Weingarten rights, the right to have a union representative in any meeting with a supervisor which may result in disciplinary action.

Nobody will ever be required to pay dues, because North Carolina is a right-to-work state. However, right-to-work laws were passed specifically to weaken worker power. We are proudly organizing with Southern Region Workers United, a majority-Black and brown service workers union. Paying dues supports our organizing here at Duke and across the right-to-work South, which boasts some of the worst working conditions in the nation. When you sign up to pay dues here, you can opt in to further contribute to political organizing. Again: paying dues is not mandatory. Dues are currently $12/month: given all of the benefits we’ve won already, we think this pays for itself many times over.

We began organizing with SEIU in 2016 as part of the Faculty Forward higher ed movement. We’re in good company: EmoryUnite! Grads, Boston University grads, Duke Faculty Union, Elon Adjunct Faculty, and more are all unionized with SEIU. We’re proud to work with graduate students across the country, sharing resources, experiences, and organizing power. Their struggles and needs have much in common with ours, and we are glad to have their support.