Nevada grad students vote to unionize: ‘$30K shouldn’t feel like a luxurious salary’

Nevada System of Higher Education graduate student workers have voted to unionize.

UNLV, UNR and Desert Research Institute graduate assistants on Thursday received a supermajority vote to unionize under the United Auto Workers union, now known as NGSW-UAW.

“We lack secure rights and protections in the workplace, struggle to afford housing and other basic expenses, and face increasing insecurity,” states NGSW-UAW on their website.

The union hopes to mitigate the large pay discrepancies throughout departments and create equitable pay. Additionally, many claim they have seen or have been subjected to workplace harassment from higher-ups.

The UAW also represents other GA unions with over 100,000 students, including universities such as Harvard, University of Washington and the University of California school system.

NSHE has yet to recognize the union, but says they have received a letter “regarding their unionization efforts” and are reviewing the letter to “assess it within the context of state laws and governance frameworks.”

“NSHE remains committed to addressing concerns raised by members of our academic community and to fulfilling our responsibilities as guided by Nevada law and established policies,” said NSHE in a statement to the Review-Journal.

Concerning pay and working conditions

Krista Diamond, a member of NGSW-UAW and a creative writing doctoral candidate at UNLV, said she resorted to selling her plasma twice a month to help pay her expenses. Diamond, who is on a 10-month contract, is paid $21,000 for her assistantship and another $9,000 for her fellowship.

“When I tell people I make $30,000, most graduate assistants respond to that like I’m wealthy,” said Diamond. “$30,000 shouldn’t feel like a luxurious salary.”

Stipends also vary within departments. According to Diamond, when she started her master’s degree in 2021, she was getting paid more as a creative writing graduate assistant than her literature counterparts.

Evelyn Airam, member of NGSW-UAW who works for the School of Integrated Health Sciences, has other stipulations on her salary due to her international student status from Brazil. Airam cannot work outside of the university and is reliant on her $21,500, 10-month salary.

“You come to school knowing that you’re going to get paid a specific amount,” said Airam. “Knowing that it’s going to pay part of your tuition, and then when that goes short, you don’t have that support that you’re expecting anymore.”

All NSHE student workers cannot work more than 20 hours per week, and graduate workers are paid on a stipend. Although, many say they work more than that, including Diamond.

For Airam, she had to work more than 40 hours a week for her clinicals over the summer for her academic program requirements. With no income during the summer months due to her 10-month appointment length, she was forced to take out a loan to “survive.”

Another main concern is discrimination and harassment. A recent internal graduate assistant survey was conducted and 1-in-4 had witnessed or been subjected to harassment based on experience or status and 1-in-4 had witnessed or experienced retaliation, according to Diamond.

“We are approaching the university with love. We love being graduate students here,” said Diamond. “We fully expect that this union will be recognized and that we will be able to bargain in good faith with the university.”

Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.