The Graduate Employee Organization, the union that represents graduate student workers at UMass Amherst, is currently bargaining with the university. One of our major demands is that so-called “non-working fellows” be included in the GEO bargaining unit. A non-working fellow (NWF) is a graduate student who receives a grant or fellowship from institutions like the NIH or NSF; from a foreign government agency (in the case of international students); or in some cases even through UMass. These fellowships are categorized as “non-working” because they are supposed to give us the opportunity to focus on our own research.

And yet the designation “non-working” is quite misleading. Many of us who receive these awards continue to perform exactly the same work we did when we were a TA, TO, or RA. But unlike those positions, graduate students on fellowships are not protected by GEO. This means we do not receive many of the benefits that come with GEO membership, such as deeply discounted health insurance, access to dental and vision coverage, child care support, parking discounts, and access to educational and purchasing software (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, BuyWays, and others). In some cases our tuition is not even covered. We end up owing money to UMass as a result of our academic and professional achievements.

Meanwhile, UMass gains prestige (and money) from the competitive grants we bring in. The university profits from our labor, but doesn’t recognize that labor—or even treat us with basic dignity and respect. Graduate students do not receive clear, consistent information about whether certain fellowships are or are not covered by GEO; neither do PIs, advisers, or department administrators. This causes chaos. It creates more—not less—work for graduate students.

What happens to non-working fellows as a result of being excluded from GEO?

• We lose our health insurance. This causes numerous problems. We avoid going to the doctor, leading us to delay seeking necessary medical treatment and even to belated diagnoses of serious health conditions. Sometimes we are forced to spend hours traveling out-of-state to receive medical care since the only affordable coverage we can find is our parents’.

• We lose dental and vision coverage—for ourselves, our children, and our partners. We have to pay for these things out-of-pocket, sometimes for multiple years in a row.

• We pay out-of-pocket for childcare. We are no longer eligible to be reimbursed for childcare through the UMass/UAW Health and Welfare Trust. This often forces us to take out student loans or take on other kinds of debt.

• We have no workplace protections. Non-working fellows do not have any recourse to push back against hostile working conditions. We cannot file a grievance if we are discriminated against, harassed, or overworked in our labs.

• We lose access to essential software. Since we cannot access Adobe, BuyWays, or other necessary programs for free, we either have to pay for these things ourselves or take the extra time to go to the library and do our research.

• We work MORE. Non-working fellows often take on additional GEO positions to maintain our benefits and coverage. We end up working more than we would have if we hadn’t taken a fellowship.

• We spend hours researching all of this information! The university does not clearly or effectively communicate about any of the hidden costs that come with non-working fellowships; we are left to our own devices and have to find it all out on our own.

Over the last decade, we have been fighting alongside non-working fellows to include them in the bargaining unit. Thanks to our tireless efforts, the university has finally expressed a willingness to work with us, but their proposal excludes many fellows who don’t reach a certain stipend threshold and many UMass-granted fellowships. The conversation at the bargaining table has so far revolved around the administrative complications involved in figuring out what kinds of non-working fellowships can and should be included in GEO. Meanwhile, GEO and non-working fellows have identified a simple, comprehensive solution: include all non-working fellows in the union! Non-working fellows deserve to receive the same protections and benefits as their labmates and fellow TAs for doing identical work. We also want to be members of GEO.

We, the undersigned GEO members, non-working fellows, PIs, faculty members, advisers, and other UMass community members stand in solidarity with GEO’s bargaining efforts. A fellowship should not be a punishment! We urge you to work with the union and university’s negotiating teams to include all non-working fellows in the bargaining unit once and for all!