IGWC-UE seeks more funding for undergraduate classrooms, concerned with IU’s future
The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition – United Electrical Workers (IGWC-UE) on Tuesday voted to continue their strike for a third week. Graduate workers are striking for union recognition, with one of their main concerns being the future of education at IU.
Between 2010 and 2019, the cost of undergraduate tuition at IU increased significantly. During the same time, the President’s salary increased 124 percent. IU’s new president came in with a $650,000 base salary.
“Parents should know that the massive amount of tuition they are paying is going toward massive administrator salaries,” explained undergraduate Jackson Bell, a Fishers native.
“It is clear that undergraduates’ tuition dollars are not making it back into the classroom,” echoed Sam Smucker, a Ph.D. student and graduate instructor in the Media School.
Despite making up 4.5 percent of the IU employee population, administrators earn 57.6 percent of total compensation. Graduate workers form 56.7 percent of employees but receive 5.2 percent total compensation.
“I believe IU’s priorities do not reflect the wishes of Indiana taxpayers like those in my hometown,” said Emilie Kostecka, an IUB alum from Valparaiso and master’s student in the School of Public Health. “By funding graduate workers, the university that we love can become a more competitive place with a better reputation.”
The IGWC-UE continues to seek a constructive dialogue with the Provost to improve the quality of undergraduate education at IU.
Graduate workers are employed as Associate Instructors, Research Assistants, Graduate Assistants, and Faculty Assistants on the Bloomington campus. They teach hundreds of courses as primary instructors, conduct research in labs, and perform as artists and musicians.
IGWC-UE submitted nearly 1,600 union membership cards to the Board of Trustees requesting a union election in December 2021. The Board rejected that request. The union now claims nearly 1,800 members among the 2,500 graduate employees.
The United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) is an independent, democratic union representing some 30,000 employees in a variety of industries. UE’s motto is: “The members run this union.”