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Law gives graduate students bargaining rights

A law passed last week gives some graduate teaching assistants the right to collectively bargain through organizations such as unions.

Signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich Wednesday, the law allows graduate teaching assistants at public universities to meet for organized bargaining, but it limits the right to those who teach university classes.

The law, which went into effect immediately, recognized the responsibility and time that comes with being a teaching assistant at the university level. The duties often include regular responsibilities of teachers including grading and instruction.

"If we had the rights of and got treated more like the regular lecturers, it might take away some of the stress of being a grad student," said Courtney Lanute, a graduate student studying French from Chicago. "If they didn't have us, they'd end up having to pay a regular professor to teach."

The law points out that though they are considered university employees through the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, prior to the signing they were not allowed to participate in unions.

It distinguishes between those who perform research, those who are involved with pre-professional work and those who teach. Only those who fall into the latter category, like Lanute, will be eligible for bargaining under this law, which, Gov. Blagojevich said will "allow the rights that all employees of public institutions deserve."

Don Sevener, president of the Illinois board of Higher Education said the organization has not taken a particular stance on the issue. However, he recognized its efforts in defining who is a university employee and who is not.

Gerardo Cardenas, a press secretary for Blagojevich, agreed that the law would provide more rights for graduate students who teach.

"I obviously think it is a positive in terms of all students' ability to fight for organized rights," Cardenas said.

Although graduate students do have the same status as professors, Lanute emphasized the importance of graduate assistant teachers for both instruction and financial purposes.

"We do the work just like any other teacher does, and we're well on our way having our master's or doctorate degrees," said Lanute, who teaches Spanish. "It would make us feel more like they want us to stay and not like they see us just as transient at the university."

During the spring semester, the Graduate Professional Student Council at SIUC discussed unionization as a means to improve wages and working conditions. The council has not yet voted on unionization.

 

 

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