United Graduate Workers bargain for undocumented workers’ rights, freedom of expression

The United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico are bargaining for wages and rights with UNM.

UGW’s bargaining priorities include higher wages, health insurance, tuition coverage, free parking, greater benefits, international and undocumented workers’ rights and protections and maintaining academic freedom and freedom of expression, according to a UGW petition.

UGW is in the process of collective bargaining so that graduate workers from all departments university-wide will receive the benefits if they get the bargain, UGW steward Noah Mertz said.

According to Mertz, UGW ratified its first bargaining contract with UNM two years ago, and is on a two year cycle for a full contract re-bargain.

Mertz said the union surveyed graduate student workers to get a better idea of their priorities for bargaining.

“We gathered all the information from that bargaining survey and we put it together as our list of bargaining priorities, and that's what we're taking to the University administration with the force of our union,” Mertz said.

Mertz said the union is just under majority card signership, which would make it become the first union to reach majority card signership in New Mexico.

“The more card signers we have, the more power we have to bargain in the room with the University administration,” he said.

Katie Slack, a graduate student and UGW steward from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, said many graduate students are concerned about freedom of expression because of the attempted censorship of research by the Trump administration.

Research on LGBTQ+ health, diversity and other topics has been targeted for funding cuts in addition to the administration's firing of “thousands of researchers and scientists” from the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to NPR.

Slack also mentioned censorship of free speech relating to students' ability to protest.

“We want to make sure that, at the University, people are able to express themselves as well as protest for things that they care about, such as a free Palestine,” Slack said.

Mertz and Slack both said they are conducting graduate research and each of them are teaching two classes in their departments for the spring 2025 semester.

Mertz said that graduate work feels “exploitative” when the pay does not compensate at an appropriate wage level.

“I think the University relies on cheap labor, and graduate workers are cheaper workers, so the more courses are taught by graduate students than by professors, the less money the university has to pay,” Mertz said. “But we don't deserve to be exploited.”

UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo that UNM will not comment on details of active negotiations with the union, as required by state law.

Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06

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