Grad workers rally in U of M dispute

Anna Martin-Boyle and John Hutchinson say they are tired of being treated like cheap labor at the University of Minnesota.

They stood inside the Minneapolis City Hall Rotunda on Wednesday, March 18, alongside fellow members of Graduate Labor Union (GLU) Local 1105, calling on the university to settle an ongoing labor dispute over whether fellows and trainees are entitled to the same workplace protections already guaranteed to graduate assistants. The rally highlighted what union members describe as a deliberate and costly effort by the university to sidestep a state law passed nearly two years ago.

At the center of the dispute is a 2024 amendment to Minnesota statute 179A, which GLU members say the university has refused to recognize, forcing the issue into a prolonged and expensive hearing process at the Bureau of Mediation Services. Union leaders argue the university’s resistance is not only unlawful but harmful to hundreds of graduate workers who depend on collective bargaining protections for basic workplace rights.

“The University of Minnesota continues to illegally refuse to recognize graduate fellows as part of our bargaining unit, thereby denying the union protections that they deserve and have fought for over the last couple of years,” said Ben Lewis, president of GLU Local 1105.

The university did not respond to written requests for comment.

For Hutchinson, a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering, the distinction comes down to funding classification, one he says has no meaningful connection to the work being performed.

“If you were to enter my group, you would not be able to tell which of us were fellows and which were graduate students,” Hutchinson said. “We are doing the same work.”

He also pointed to what he sees as a contradiction in how the university values his contributions. While his research is recognized at the national level, he said, the university denies that he qualifies as an employee.

“Next week, I’m traveling to the National Science Foundation’s annual meeting, where I’ll be sharing how the $3 million the NSF has put forward to the University of Minnesota for my program has led to increased research outputs,” Hutchinson said. “Yet in spite of all of this, the University of Minnesota maintains that I do not work here and that I’m not entitled to the protections guaranteed in our collective bargaining agreements.”

Martin-Boyle, the union’s chief steward, said she has experienced the consequences of that distinction firsthand. Previously covered under union protections, she was shifted this semester to a patchwork of fellowships, leaving her without the rights she once had.

Now, she finds herself in the same position as the workers she represents.

“If a supervisor forces a fellow to work 60-hour weeks, the university bars me from filing a workload grievance on the worker’s behalf,” Martin-Boyle said. “If a department denies a fellow parental or bereavement leave or sick time to care for a child, there is no formal recourse. If a fellow is sexually harassed in the workplace, I cannot sit with them and represent them through Title IX proceedings.”

She emphasized that the issue extends well beyond the roughly 800 fellows currently affected. Because of the university’s funding structure, any of the more than 4,000 workers in the bargaining unit could be reclassified at any time, potentially losing their protections overnight.

“This issue affects a lot more than just 800 fellows,” she said. “All 4,000-plus workers in our unit can be moved to a fellowship if the department decides that’s the best way to fund them. I know this is true because it is happening to me right now.”

According to Martin-Boyle, her advisor had planned to place her on a research assistantship, an appointment that includes union protections, but her department instead assigned her to multiple fellowships without explanation.

The dispute has been building for more than a year. Sandra Shahriar described similar concerns during testimony before the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee in April 2024. That testimony helped support SF 5266, which amended the Public Employment Labor Relations Act to explicitly include fellows in the bargaining unit.

Despite the law passing nearly 19 months ago, GLU leaders say the university has yet to comply.

Efforts to resolve the issue through bargaining have stalled. Hutchinson described negotiations in which the university rejected multiple union proposals and failed to engage in meaningful compromise.

“During our bargaining and mediation sessions, our union put forward numerous approaches to find a path forward,” he said. “The university rejected every single one. They made one proposal, returning one of ours with every line crossed out and stating that no fellows or trainees belonged in the bargaining unit.”

The university’s proposed path forward through the Bureau of Mediation Services would require each of the 871 fellows and trainees to testify and be individually cross-examined. Union leaders say such a process could cost taxpayers millions, at a time when the university is cutting academic programs by 7% and implementing its largest tuition increase in 14 years.

Political pressure is now intensifying. State Sens. Jennifer McEwen and Omar Fateh, along with 17 other legislators, sent a letter this week urging the university to reach a settlement. Meanwhile, Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley is expected to introduce a resolution supporting graduate fellows’ rights, with a committee hearing scheduled for March 24 and a full council vote possible by March 26.

Despite growing pressure from lawmakers and city officials, the union says the university has not responded to its latest settlement proposal.

“The university is taking this opportunity to openly and publicly defy state law at the harm of its workers,” Hutchinson said. “The University of Minnesota is not above the law.”

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