Wesleyan Grad Workers win union vote 86-7!

MIDDLETOWN, CT - September 26, 2024 - Today, the graduate workers at Wesleyan University voted 86-7 support for forming a union with the OPEIU Local 153. Their new union, Wesleyan Graduate Labor Union (WesGLU), includes 114 graduate employees who teach or do research at Wesleyan. 

Graduate workers at Wesleyan organized their union in order to communicate openly about issues with Wesleyan administration without fear of retaliation. Through the collective bargaining process, grad workers will address concerns with working conditions and supervision, support for completing degrees, increasing stipends and advanced agreement for raises, expanding healthcare access, support for grad workers who are parents, while seeking to address pay equity issues across programs. 

Katie Sagarin (PhD, Biology) has been one of the lead organizers on this campaign. “I’ve been advocating for better working conditions in research labs for almost five years. The catharsis of winning our union today is indescribable. I’m overjoyed that I got to help make Wesleyan a better, safer place to learn and to work.”

Shawn O’Sullivan (Masters, Music) speaks to the unique conditions impacting graduate workers in the music department. “Winning the union is a crucial step towards equality on campus. As a body of workers, we have faced labor violations, housing and health insurance issues, and wage disparities. Only by joining together can we make our voices heard. We look forward to working with all members to develop proposals which reflect the needs of all Wesleyan grad workers. We look forward to negotiating a contract that makes these changes real and enforceable.”

Wesleyan graduate workers are the latest union of graduate student employees, a sector which has seen explosive interest in unionization over the past decade. Wesleyan Grads are the first graduate student worker union to join OPEIU. OPEIU Local 153 is proud to be the union for undergraduate Resident Advisors, clerical and administrative assistants, and Physical Plant employees at Wesleyan.