On Friday, July 11, several members of United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico attended their seventh bargaining session to negotiate with the University.
The Union ratified its first collective bargaining agreement with UNM in December 2022, and a contract extension in November 2023, which expired in March 2025. Nicholás Chávez, a department of Spanish and Portuguese graduate student and media representative of the UGW Contract Action Team, said UGW is negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.
“(The collective bargaining agreement) is going to govern what our compensation is for assistantships, it's going to talk about what benefits we get, it’s going to talk about what kind of worker protections we get,” Chávez said.
The new bargaining agreement could allow UNM graduate workers to make deals with the University for their prioritized benefits. The union is seeking higher wages, health insurance, tuition coverage, expanded parking access, increased benefits, additional protections for international workers and migrants lacking proper identification as well as academic freedom and freedom of expression, according to a UGW Bargaining Priorities 2025 document provided to the Daily Lobo.
The priorities were determined by a campus-wide survey of UNM graduate student workers who are both union and non-union members, according to the document.
To increase wages, UGW is bargaining for across-the-board wage raises as well as guaranteed summer funding.
Katie Slack, a union steward for UGW and a master’s student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo that UNM administration countered UGW’s initial proposal for a 20% wage increase with a 3% increase during a bargaining session on July 2.
The 3% raise amounts to less than $1.00 per hour for the lowest-paid workers, according to the statement.
Shortly following and during the July 11 bargaining session, UGW reduced their proposed raise to 16%, and UNM suggested a 0.5% increase, resulting in a 3.5% raise, Slack wrote.
Health benefits were one of the top priorities for graduate workers, according to their bargaining priorities petition. UGW is bargaining for lower-cost and higher-coverage dental and vision service insurance as well as access to specialized care.
During the bargaining session on July 2, the University denied UGW's requests for dental and vision coverage, according to the statement.
In a statement to the Daily Lobo, UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair wrote that UNM cannot comment on details of active negotiations due to state law requirements and “respectful negotiating practice.”
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According to a UGW handout delivered during the July 11 bargaining session, over 60% of survey respondents listed healthcare as “very important”, and 43% of survey respondents have ignored or delayed treatment due to the cost of care.
Over 80% of workers listed higher compensation as “very important,” 60% of respondents reported being rent insecure and 70% rated their financial security as moderately insecure or not secure at all, according to the handout.
“If we aren't able to make our own ends meet, that might mean that we have higher turnover rate, and maybe people aren't motivated to come to UNM,” Chávez said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
