The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition-United Electrical Workers will begin accepting optional monthly dues from members starting this week.
A news release issued by the coalition Thursday stated graduate workers can use an existing IU policy to automatically donate a portion of their paycheck each month to a fund of their choice. The coalition is recommending members donate 1.44% of their income as dues, about $36 per month on the new $22,000 minimum annual stipend.
Until now, the Coalition has relied on donations to cover operating costs. Nora Weber, chair of the Graduate Worker Coalition Research Committee, said collecting regular dues will allow the union to direct its energy elsewhere.
“Our efforts as the union should be on improving graduate life on campus,” Weber said. “The more that we can focus on that rather than fundraising, the better that we can serve grads.”
Other graduate worker unions, such as Graduate Students United at the University of Chicago, have adopted similar optional dues policies, which remain until successfully negotiating their first contract.
Weber said dues collected by the coalition will fund daily expenses such as its website, informational materials and events. According to information released by the Coalition, its strike fund rose to over $60,000 in the spring.
“We have a very healthy, very robust strike fund from last year that is money we collected and is retained for strike-related coverages,” Weber said. “The dues are part of the long-term planning, which is where you have a regular source of income.”
Graduate workers won higher stipends and fee eliminations from the university this summer, credit for which is claimed by both the coalition and the university’s task force on graduate education. With the fall semester underway at IU, the union continues to lobby for recognition from the trustees and negotiation over their contracts. The possibility of another strike looms in September.
