Graduate Students Protest as University of Rochester Delays Union Agreement

Graduate students at the University of Rochester staged a protest on campus Thursday, voicing frustration over the university’s delay in finalizing a union election agreement reached in December.

The students, organized under the Graduate Labor Union (GLU), are seeking formal union representation and had anticipated moving forward with an election following months of negotiations with the university. However, they argue that the administration is stalling the process by not signing the agreement.

“We secured this deal back in December, and now the university is dragging its feet,” said Katie Gregory, a Ph.D. student and GLU representative. “We are essential workers, and we deserve a fair say in our wages and working conditions.”

The University of Rochester, however, defended the delay, citing legal considerations stemming from a recent federal court ruling.

"Since last winter, there have been multiple times when the union took large blocks of time (lasting months in some cases) to review the draft private election agreement and provide feedback to the university," the university said in a statement. "The university now needs some additional time to review and consider the ramifications of the proposed agreement in light of a court decision in the Vanderbilt University v. National Labor Relations Board case, which was decided last month. There, the court granted Vanderbilt a preliminary injunction, preventing the NLRB from requiring Vanderbilt, leading up to an NLRB election, to produce certain student data that could otherwise violate the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)."

The university reaffirmed its stance that it supports graduate students’ right to decide on union representation. "We take this process very seriously and plan to follow up as quickly as possible with a formal response to the union,” the statement added.

Despite this, graduate students argue that the delay is unnecessary and believe the university is leveraging legal complexities to slow the process. Thursday’s rally saw more than 200 students and supporters march to Wallis Hall, the university’s administrative building, demanding immediate action.

The situation remains in flux, as graduate workers await the university’s next move. Union organizers say they will continue to push for a fair and timely election, while the administration insists it must carefully assess the legal landscape before proceeding.