Statement on the End of Mandatory Fees and Pay Increases

August 1, 2022 — In an enormous win for the IGWC-UE and step toward Union recognition, IU Bloomington Admin announced an increase to the minimum SAA pay and end to the mandatory fees, effective immediately.

Changes include an end to the mandatory fees and other course-related fees for SAA appointees, graduate stipend increases based on median departmental pay among Big Ten universities, an immediate raise in minimum stipend to $22,000, a biannual review of SAA stipends, and prioritization of graduate funding in campus fundraising.

These wins result from the collective efforts of over 2,000 graduate workers and countless allies. Since 2018, we have engaged in public marches, petitions, a fee strike, and our Spring 2022 Graduate Worker Strike. 

While this represents significant progress in improving graduate worker equity on the IU Bloomington campus, it is important to note that the recommendations do not cover several core issues faced by graduate workers, including cost-of-living adjustments, protection for international workers, improved benefits, and a neutral grievance procedure. These wins demanded incredible time and effort from graduate workers, staff, faculty, students, and allies, underscoring the necessity of recognizing our union as a long-term commitment to graduate worker equity. 

Graduate workers at IU should be proud. Our collective action is improving conditions on campus - for ourselves and for future generations of graduate workers at IU Bloomington. We remain resolute in our fight for union recognition. We fight to ensure that graduate workers will not have to strike to ensure basic dignity in working and living conditions, and that IU can truly commit to its mission of providing excellent teaching and research to the state of Indiana.