ORONO — State Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Penobscot, joined graduate workers at the UMaine campus in Orono Wednesday to call on the University of Maine System to reach a contract agreement.
The University of Maine Graduate Workers Union said they have been bargaining for a first contract for more than 700 days.
“Right now, we are asking for fair pay and health benefits that match our peer institutions like the University of New Hampshire, the University of Vermont and the University of Rhode Island,” said Alexis Merk, a UMaine graduate worker.
On Wednesday, they hand-delivered a letter to Chancellor Dannel Malloy and the UMS Board of Trustees, urging them to reach a deal.
Malloy was not available to receive the letter, so an assistant accepted it on his behalf.
The letter was signed by 75 Maine legislators.
“This is about the future, not just for these students, but for our state,” said Tipping. “These are people that we want to stay in Maine.”
State Rep. Sean Faircloth, D-Bangor, also made an appearance to show support for the graduate workers.
“I hope they’ll listen to the graduate students primarily, and most of all,” said Faircloth.
The standard minimum stipend for UMS master's students is $17,000 for a nine-month appointment, based on 2023-2024 figures, according to the benefits explanation on the UMaine website. This amount is $20,000 for doctoral students.
Graduate workers said that relying on that salary can be difficult.
“For a lot of us, it means going to [the campus food pantry] where you can actually take home some free food,” said Merk. “[And] I’ve heard of graduate workers sleeping in their car.”
A UMS representative provided a statement from Malloy after the letter was delivered.
“UMS values its graduate student workers and is bargaining weekly and in good faith toward a fair first contract,” Malloy said, in part. “With 29 tentative agreements reached, we are making strong progress on the remaining issues.”
He added: “Our goal remains a responsible, forward-looking agreement that strengthens our public universities,” he added.
In a previous statement regarding a graduate workers rally on Aug.13, UMS noted limitations posed by available state and federal funding.
“As a public university system, our ability to improve work opportunities and conditions without shifting costs to our students and their families in the form of unreasonable tuition increases largely depends on our state appropriation and our federal grants and contracts,” an August statement from UMS reads, in part.