ABSTRACT
Graduate Student Unions («graj(\)w\Ú |t «st(y)u‹d\nt «yu‹ny\nz) Graduate student employee unions have been functioning and bargaining successfully in higher education for decades. The first was established at the University of Wisconsin in 1969, where it has since negotiated for salary and benefits, debated its form of organization, and handled grievance cases. Graduate assistants at the Universities of Kansas, Michigan, Oregon, and Wisconsin have affiliated themselves with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), whereas those at the University of Iowa have chosen the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE); those at Rutgers University are represented by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP); and those at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have selected the United Auto Workers (UAW). Graduate student unions on the campuses of the State University of New York (SUNY) system are affiliated with the Communication Workers of America (CWA). Graduate employees at the University of California campuses, still seeking formal recognition, have signed up with the UAW.
