WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR

The high cost of living in the Upper Valley is the most deeply and widely felt issue amongst our members. According to our bargaining survey, 50% of Dartmouth graduate workers regularly consider dropping out. The top reason given was extreme stress, not due to the pressures of graduate work, but due to financial hardship. Two-thirds of us are rent burdened, meaning that we spend more than 30% of our income on rent. Dartmouth is a multi-billion dollar institution, but its administration chooses to hoard wealth instead of paying workers our fair share. We have demanded the following in our fight to win a living wage:

• $55,000/year for stipend-supported student-workers

• Annual cost of living adjustments (COLA) tied to inflation and local rent costs

Dartmouth does not provide adequate health insurance and benefits to its graduate workers. We are offered no dental insurance, no child care, no dependent healthcare, no retirement plan, and extremely limited vision coverage. We are committed to winning benefits that allow us to take care of our bodies, our minds, and our families. We have demanded:

• Full dental and vision coverage

• $100,000+ fund for reimbursing out-of-pocket medical costs

• Healthcare coverage and medical support fund for dependents

• Expanded dependent support and paid family and medical leave

The power dynamic inherent to the academic system creates an environment where student-workers can be abused and exploited with no consequence for those in positions of power. Abusive supervisors rely on the lack of oversight that comes with "academic freedom" to carry out unsafe and discriminatory lab practices over and over again. Our union is committed to forcing the administration to take responsibility and ensure that student-workers are treated fairly in their workplace and receive just recourse when faced with harassment and discrimination. We have demanded and WON:

• Union support throughout Title IX and other grievance processes

• Third party arbitration for discrimination and harassment cases

• Just cause protections for workplace discipline

• Restrictions on workload and working hours

International student-workers face unique financial and social hardships at Dartmouth. We must pay discriminatory immigration fees, often receive incorrect tax forms, and are less likely than domestic students to own a car. Additionally, the threat of jeaopordizing visa status and deportation leads to enhanced precarity. We have demanded these supporting measures to make graduate school more equitable for international student-workers:

• Reimbursement for SEVIS and other immigration fees

• An on-campus drivers education course

• Expanded services from OVIS

• Supportive measures for navigating U.S. tax and healthcare systems

You can see our international fact sheet for more information.