FAQ

In its most basic definition, a union is a group of individuals who organize together to make decisions about their working conditions.

A bargaining unit is a group of workers who are legally represented by a single labor union and are covered by the current contract. 

This unit includes both union members and nonmembers. However, if you are not a union member, you cannot vote in union elections, for constitution changes, or on the contract during collective bargaining.

We can bargain for workplace improvements ranging from stipend increases, to health insurance improvements, to protections against harrassment and discrimination. Our contract or the contract explainer offers examples of issues we've bargained over. 

No. Unions are groups of employees working together to fight for better working conditions. EmoryUnite! is not a third party organization; we are your fellow PhD workers from across departments at Laney. Your dues go towards coordinating our efforts to fight for our rights, up to and including paying for legal representation when dealing with the administration. 

So-called "right-to-work" laws are union-busting laws. They prohibit the union and management from agreeing to include every worker protected under the contract in the union automatically. Every worker protected by our contract receives the benefit whether they are a dues-paying member or not. We will fight for you no matter what. 

However, this puts workers in a position where they can choose to receive the benefits of their coworkers' efforts to protect each other without pitching in, eroding our solidarity and depleting us of the resources that we need to stand up for each other.

We all need to pitch in. Sign a union card today!

The NLRB is an agency of the federal government. It enforces United States labor law as it relates to elections for labor union representation, collective bargaining, unfair labor practices (ULPs).

EmoryUnite! is a PhD student union, which means that it is a democratic organization of graduate student workers that represents their interests as university employees. EmoryUnite! negotiates collectively over employment conditions like pay, benefits, health and safety, and protections against harrassment and discrimination.

You can join EmoryUnite! by signing a union card.

Becoming a dues-paying member of our union means that you stand with your colleagues for financial security, affordable housing, equal opportunities for international students, as well as a safe and equitable learning environment for all. Although we already have a contract, it was only won through the unity and collective action of thousands of graduate workers, and our contract can only be protected and enforced by active and engaged membership. 

Importantly, becoming a member of the union gives you a voice and a vote in union elections, the right to run for officer and steward positions, and the ability to participate in the decision-making and democracy of our union. Non-members are not eligible to vote. 

We are always looking to expand the number of organizers in the union! If you would like to get more involved, reach out to your department steward or email emoryunite@gmail.com.

Yes, but if you are unsure about your membership status feel free to sign a card again.

Union dues are a regular payment that funds the union's activities. They fund the people and resources it takes to enforce our contract and support our members. 

Our work at Emory is part of a broader movement: graduate workers here are members of SEIU/Workers United Southern Region, alongside airport, laundry, and hotel workers across the South. Over 80% of our Southern Region siblings are Black and Latino, and more than a third are immigrants from Haiti, Vietnam, Central and South America, and Africa. Their dues helped launch our organizing campaign because they believed that when we won, we would carry that solidarity forward. Paying dues is how we return that solidarity and build real, shared power.

Our parent union, SEIU, has some of the lowest dues in the country. They are 1.5% of our gross pay, capped at $11.53 per week or $50 per month.

Dues do not start immediately after union elections. Dues begin once our first contract is ratified by EmoryUnite! members, which contains a 16% historic pay raise. 

When you sign up for dues check-off, you are giving the union permission to deduct dues directly from your paycheck each pay period (similar to a tax witholding). 

You are not required to pay dues. However, dues are an important part of collective solidarity and help fund the union's activities. When workers choose to receive the benefits of their coworkers' efforts to protect each other without pitching in, it erodes our solidarity and depletes us of the resources that we need to stand up for each other.

If you are considering revoking your membership because you'd like to stop paying dues, please note that only your union membership can be resigned at any time under Georgia's "right-to-work" law. The dues check-off authorization you signed is a separate agreement: it renews automatically each year and can only be revoked in writing during specific “window periods”. These window periods are 15 days before or after either (1) the yearly anniversary of when you first signed your authorization or (2) the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, whichever comes first.

Each month, $12.65 per member goes to SEIU International, which funds organizing and national operations. $0.50 goes to the Workers United National Organizing Fund, and about $1.20 stays with EmoryUnite! to support our on-campus work. The remainder goes to the Workers United Southern Region Joint Board, which provides staff, legal, and logistical support for all Southern locals.

Because unions in the South have historically lacked the infrastructure that exists elsewhere (e.g., finance departments to process dues, dedicated organizers, and legal teams to bargain contracts), Workers United was built around pooling resources across Southern locals. For example, we could not afford a full-time lawyer for EmoryUnite! on our own. This collective model allows smaller locals like ours to share essential staff and institutional support. And because Georgia is a right-to-work state, the Southern Region also receives an annual subsidy from SEIU International to ensure we can operate effectively and continue building power in the South.

Importantly, SEIU does not make political contributions with dues, so none of our dues will be used to support electoral campaigns. If you are curious where every dollar goes, you can learn more about our national union’s approach to financial transparency, accountability, and how dues are allocated. 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to us at emoryunite@gmail.com.

Once the EmoryUnite! constitution is reviewed, revised, and ratified by members by the end of October 2025, our union will transition into a new union structure.

Overall, the primary strength of our union comes from the unity and participation of our membership. We hold general body meetings (GBMs), open to all members, every month. At these GBMs, we collectively discuss, debate, and vote on the decisions of our union. 

Between membership meetings, these decisions are carried out by our Organizing Committee (OC), which comprises both elected leaders and any rank-and-file member who wants to take initiative. Beyond the OC, various committees and working groups organize around specific tasks and campaigns. 

The other major structure in our union is our steward network. Stewards are graduate workers who support and organize peers in their respective departments. Stewards are the first point of contact for any member who needs the union's assistance. Find a steward in your department here. 

Committees are the core structures that keep the union running. They handle the ongoing work that makes our union function (for example, communications, membership, bargaining, or labor management). Committees are usually standing bodies, meaning they continue year after year and report directly to the union’s leadership or membership.

Working groups, on the other hand, are typically more focused and short-term action arms. They form around specific caucuses, campaigns, or causes (for instance, an international student caucus, a contract enforcement campaign, or a research project on stipends). Working groups can be initiated by any rank-and-file member by submitting a list of seven members to be included in the group. Working groups may feed into committees or operate alongside them to advance particular goals.

In short:
COMMITTEES = structure of the union (how we function)
WORKING GROUPS = action arms (specific campaigns, caucuses, or projects)

A union contract, or collective bargaining agreement (CBA), is a legally binding agreement between an employer and a group of workers that is negotiated through a legally protected process called collective bargaining. A contract outlines and protects the rights and benefits of the workers, and the employer is legally obligated to adhere to the contract’s stipulations. As individuals, we face a massive power imbalance with our employer. Only by acting collectively, with broad participation and democratic support, were we able to negotiate with our employer as equals and win our first contract.

Our contract was ratified by EmoryUnite! members and went into effect on September, 2025! Here is a copy of the full contract, with explainers and highlights. You can also read more about the campaigns and the timeline leading up to the ratification of our first contract. 

A union contract is determined through collective bargaining, in which the union and the employer share proposals for the contract until a written agreement is reached. At the union's General Body Meetings, members vote on what the union proposes at the bargaining table. When all the articles have been tentatively approved (TA'd), union members review and vote on the contract to approve it so that it is legally binding for both EmoryUnite! and the university. Only card-signing union members can participate in this vote.

Major wins in our first contract include higher compensation, from $36k/year at the start of negotiations to $42k/year, with the raises aligned with faculty and staff at minimum. Healthcare out-of-pocket maximums will be reduced by $1,500 from the beginning of the '26-'27 academic year. The university also pledged $450,000 per year into support funds (that roll over and renew between years) for student-workers experiencing financial hardships. Student-workers are able to take 10 additional vacation days, on top of pre-approved University-designated holidays. We also secured robust grievance and arbitration procedures. Student-workers can also receive up to 3 months of extended funding if changing advisors or more, if this change is a result of a grievable offense. Read our contract explainer or the contract in its entirety for more wins and details. 

We are currently under contract, which includes a "no strike, no lockout" article. That means we have no intention to, and are prohibited from, striking until the contract expires. In between contracts, should the union decide to strike, it would have to be voted upon by the entire membership, passed by a supermajority, and would only occur as a last resort option. No individual member would be required to strike.

Still, until our contract expires, we need to organize and mobilize our membership to ensure we can make a credible strike threat during the bargaining process. An organized and prepared membership is our best leverage to make sure the administration listens to the demands of our membership. 

Our contract affords us many rights and protections, including safe working conditions, an inclusive work environment, protection from harassment and discrimination, fair work expectations, and much more. If you think these contractual rights are being violated, or if you are having a workplace problem at Emory, complete this form and/or reach out to your department steward (cc: emoryunite@gmail.com). 

Our union stewards are trained to help resolve problems that PhD workers are facing in their workplace. Stewards are workers in your department or lab who can answer questions about the contract or grievance procedure, can act as your representative to your supervisor, and can help you file a grievance. Our grievance and arbitration procedures are outlined in Section 9 of our collective bargaining agreement, accessible here.

You have a right to union representation in any meeting that you reasonably believe could lead to disciplinary action. This is referred to as Weingarten rights. If you are being called into a meeting you believe may be disciplinary, you can contact your steward and request to be represented. After you make that request, you don’t have to answer any questions until your steward is with you. Stewards are here to make sure you don’t have to deal with these problems alone.

Yes, international student-workers absolutely have the same rights as US citizens to organize and become members of the union! It is illegal for any employer to punish workers for participating in workplace organizing. Additionally, there are no effects on visa or immigration status due to union participation or membership. International grad workers have been participating in and leading graduate union organizing for over a half-century now, and no one has brought forward cases of any complication arising from their status as an international student and union organizer or member. International grad workers have been integral to organizing and building EmoryUnite! from the start, sitting at the bargaining table with Emory administration, bringing their coworkers out to actions, and helping to draft our union constitution.

Further, no one organizes on their own. Our union is built on broad, public, majority support. This gives us both significant collective power and protection in numbers. We will not stand for any grad worker at Emory, whether domestic or international, facing retaliation for helping to build and strengthen our union with their coworkers.

It is illegal for the university to retaliate against union members by firing, demoting or transferring them; reducing pay, hours, or benefits; making work less desirable or more difficult by changing work schedules, denying overtime, or separating workers; or calling law enforcement (including ICE). Such retaliation can result in a claim filed by the union to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Your decision to sign a union card, and your vote for or against a union in a general election, will be private. The only way that any professor will know that you support a union is if you decide to make your stance public. While some professors may not approve of students unionizing, many do. As former graduate students, many professors support our struggle for better pay and working conditions, and many also agree that having a graduate student union advocating for grad students’ rights makes Emory a more equitable place for graduate student workers. 

One study found that, across eight universities, unionized graduate student-workers have better relationships with faculty in comparison to grads at non-unionized peer institutions.

Emory administration’s FAQs are written from the employer’s perspective. They make more money and retain more power if graduate workers don’t organize. While Laney administration has been more direct in the past about not wanting graduate workers to unionize, their materials still indirectly frame the union as a source of “uncertainty” while presenting the status quo as safer or better. We must remember: the status quo benefits them, not us. 

EmoryUnite!’s FAQs, on the other hand, are written by and for graduate workers. We’re not here to sell you a story that protects the university’s bottom line. We know what it’s like to live on stipends that don’t match the cost of living, to navigate failing systems, and to be told to be “grateful” instead of demanding what we deserve. 

We encourage you to be critical and ask yourself: who benefits if graduate workers stay quiet, and who benefits if we organize?

No. It is up to you whether you disclose to potential employers that you are part of a union.

Our weekly email updates are one of the most important ways we communicate with our members. If you are not receiving these emails, reach out to us at emoryunite@gmail.com and we will add you to the Listserv as soon as possible.

We would love to talk to you more about EmoryUnite! This is a union by and for graduate workers, and it's important that everyone is included and heard. To find out more, email us at emoryunite@gmail.com.