(WJBC file photo)
By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – Graduate students at Illinois State University are taking the next steps toward organizing a union.
Sociology grad student Eric Zdansky said he and other organizers have gathered enough signatures to ask for representation by the Service Employees International Union.
Zdansky said he makes $9,000 a year for a 20-hour appointment that includes teaching classes, assisting instructors and grading. He said the workload combined with a student’s own studies is full-time.
“I would be in Schraeder Hall until 2:00 in the morning doing stuff,” Zdansky told WJBC’s Sam Wood. “Maybe not holding office hours at 2:00 in the morning, but I could be grading until that point in time or doing anything. It’s a full-time job. There’s no break when I leave ISU. I’m always working on stuff for my graduate studies.”
Zdansky said at the very least, the process to form a union could help improve working conditions for graduate students.
“The fact that I and many, many others are working to keep this conversation going, keep this moment going, to try to improve the conditions at ISU by talking about our experiences and having our voices heard–that’s the important thing to keep in mind,” Zdansky said.
Zdansky said there are about 500 graduate students at ISU.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
