The NC State Graduate Workers Union is announcing its campaign for a raise in stipends this year. The University is powered by the work of graduate workers, and our stipends must reflect our contribution to NC State.
As workers at an R1 institution, we teach, grade students’ work and do the research that the University depends on for its dual purposes of generating and spreading knowledge. Our pay has yet to reflect the important work we do.
The cost of living has risen dramatically over the past several years, and as of the beginning of this year we saw a median asking rent of $2,133 in Raleigh. This means that graduate students often spend more than half of their income on rent.
Similarly, the cost of groceries has risen, with a 4.3% increase in food costs in the last year. Despite this, graduate workers are expected by administrators to take on the extra financial burden without an increase in their pay, leaving many students without the ability to cover basic expenses.
We have collected countless such stories from many of our graduate workers. From them, we have learned that struggles such as food and housing insecurity and lack of affordable healthcare are all too common for graduate workers. NC State’s administration must acknowledge that a lack of adequate pay for workers has serious, detrimental consequences.
The current minimum nine-month stipend for graduate workers is a measly $11,308, an amount that is insufficient for any person living in Raleigh to meet their basic needs. This minimum stipend stands in stark contrast to the $38,000 average annual cost of living in Wake County.
For this reason, we are demanding a living wage after fees: $41,000/year and annual increases that match the cost of living. This amount is in accordance with the MIT living wage calculator, and it closely matches with what our graduate student colleagues at Duke are being paid right now.
It is the NC State Graduate Workers Union’s stance that the University has the economic means and willpower to address the financial crisis that has been created for many graduate workers. We look to the leadership that has been demonstrated at nearby institutions such as UNC-Chapel Hill, which increased its minimum stipend to $20,000 earlier this year.
Our union submitted an anti-fees brief with this information to the Board of Trustees earlier this year, but we have yet to see the University take action on the cost of living crisis that graduate workers are experiencing.
In recent years, our union has organized around many issues beyond student fees that impact the lives of graduate workers. This has included advocating for improved benefits for workers, raising pay and improving working conditions for housekeepers, and addressing unsafe working conditions such as previous air quality issues in Dabney Hall.
This year, our focus on stipends is a result of the message that our union members have shared continuously: We are not being paid enough to meet our needs.
We have the right to organize and meet with University administrators to tackle these ongoing issues. Despite this, NC State has failed to recognize the importance of bringing graduate workers into the conversation. Our organizing keeps our workers at the forefront, and we will continue to demand that the University provide living and working conditions that reflect our worth.
For the graduate workers reading this column, we cannot do this without you. Our union is worker powered, and we want you to join us in fighting for the pay that you deserve. Interested in joining us? Send us an email at [email protected] to get involved.
