WORCESTER, Mass. - 'End poverty pay, Clark Grad employees deserve more' was the message on signs of striking graduate workers at Clark University Monday.
"We need a living wage to do our jobs," said one student who opted to withhold their name. "I make $19,000 a year."
What You Need To Know
- Clark University's Grad Student Workers United walked off the job and began striking in front of the university Monday morning
- The group of students is demanding better wages, health care and benefits in a new contract
- The university and students have held numerous negotiating sessions since the students voted to unionize in April, but are yet to come to an agreement
- Organizers said right now their plan is to be on the picket line 24 hours a day, seven days a week until their demands are met
The school's Grad Student Workers United, which is represented by Teamsters Local 170, walked off the job Monday and onto the picket line. They're demanding a living wage, affordable health care and better working conditions.
"We can't wait," said that same student." We've had colleagues leave the program because they can't find a place to live. I can't wait any longer. They say their motto is 'challenge convention, change the world.' I think that it's time they prove it."
Leser Carver is a second year masters student at Clark. Carver said the decision to strike comes after months of failed contract negotiations.
"We've been negotiating since April for this contract," Carver said. "There have been six meetings with the university now, and there has been no movement towards getting us a livable wage. We are not reinventing the wheel here."
Graduate students voted to be represented by a union last spring, but haven’t settled on a contract through collective bargaining.
The school says it’s typically a longer process, and a spokesperson for Clark pointed to pay as the primary sticking point, saying in a statement: "At this point, the primary area of disagreement is the level of stipend. This has substantial budgetary implications.
"The University has come forward with proposals that increase current stipends within available resources and based on competitive rates at comparable institutions. Again, our expectation was to engage in continued dialogue to resolve these outstanding issues."
The university said it wants negotiations to resume soon. So do union members like Carver. Leaving the classroom is a disappointment and they’re hoping this strike ends sooner rather than later.
"I love the students I work with," Carver said. "I love teaching. I really respect the professors that I work with. But we are very hopeful about moving forward."