graduate assistants

The graduate student workers' union at the University of New Mexico and its supporters rallied for raises amid active negotiations with the university on April 23, 2024.

UNM grad student union rallies for raises and respect from the university

Nash Jones

The University of New Mexico’s graduate student workers’ union rallied outside of the administration building Tuesday. The United Graduate Workers are calling for raises that include research assistants and for the university’s bargaining committee to treat their union with respect.

Graduate assistants during the occupation of UNM's Scholes Hall December 7th. They worked from the administration building to demonstrate their labor to university President Garnett Stokes and others.

Local News

Labor board clears way for UNM grad workers to negotiate as a union

Kaveh Mowahed

After a years-long organizing effort, graduate students at the University of New Mexico have scored a big victory. The New Mexico Public Employee Labor Relations Board certified a card count last week showing a majority of the school’s 1,547 graduate workers favor collective bargaining.

English Department instructors Sarah Worland (left) and Kalila Bohsali grade papers on the lawn in front of Scholes Hall as part of the work-in demonstrating the value of grad students’ labor at UNM.

Local News

UNM graduate assistants face "inflection point" this week on unionizing

Kaveh Mowahed

Graduate Students do a large portion of the teaching and related work at the University of New Mexico. Reporter Austin Fisher, with Source New Mexico, told KUNM that UNM’s 1,500 graduate assistants work with as many as 15,000 undergrads each semester, assisting professors, running labs, and even teaching the same courses full-time instructors teach.