The State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry has a new union by near-unanimous vote, as this week its research assistants have voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America.
ESF RAU's members fell into a weird spot organizationally prior to their unionization. While SUNY graduate students are part of the Graduate Student Employees Union and unionized under CWA Local 1104, ESF RAU's members aren't eligible to be members of that union. According to CWA, "Research Assistants at SUNY-ESF are funded through a private foundation"—as opposed to other graduate students, who are paid by the state.
Nonetheless, ESF RAU members have basically identical problems: poor pay, high costs of work and living, and problematic structural incentives. They make "significantly less than the living or minimum wage in Syracuse", according to CWA; they also have significant student fees, which are particularly onerous for international students who legally cannot supplement their RA income. One research student, Adam Mitchell, notes RAs "[...]have to pay upwards of $300 to register for a single class" and that many struggle to pay for food.
Accordingly, union demands going into their bargaining with SUNY are:
- an increase in pay and improved working conditions, including ensuring transparency on fee spending;
- affordable health insurance;
- and paid leave and reasonable accommodations for parents and caretakers