Long story short, fellows (graduate workers who receive their stipend from a fellowship) are currently not represented by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) ratified by GLU-UE and the University of Minnesota in January 2025. This means, for example, that fellows are not guaranteed annual raises, protections from workplace harassment, or even due process if their advisor seeks to kick them out.

GLU-UE believes in following Minnesota law, which clearly and unambiguously puts fellows in our bargaining unit. We know that fellows are often doing the same work as GAs, often side-by-side, and that they perform service for the university.
For over a year now, the University has refused to follow the law and recognize fellows in our union in an attempt to deny protections to fellows and provide a way they can arbitrarily classify grad workers as fellows to shrink the size of GLU-UE and minimize the reach of our contract.

Can fellows sign up for union membership?

Yes! Fellows are still eligible to sign up for membership. Membership gives you the ability to participate in the decision making for the Union as a whole, like electing union leadership, deciding how we use our finances, adopting proposals, and more! As a fellow, this also shows the U that fellows want to be in the union. Your interest indicates an even more immediate need to be recognized by the University. 

Fellows bargaining

Bargaining for fellows has been underway since March 2025. In October 2024, we signed an agreement with the university that a Fellows Bargaining Committee would bargain with the University over which types of fellows (based on job roles and classifications) qualify as public employees by Minnesota law and therefore are eligible to be in the bargaining unit and covered by the ratified CBA. Unfortunately, after several months of bargaining and mediation sessions, we have still not received a single proposal from the university. On July 14, the University’s bargaining team told us they didn’t see a point in continuing to meet to work towards an agreement.

See our Bargaining Tracker for more details on the progress of the fellows bargaining process. See our Bargaining Tracker to follow along with the fellows bargaining process.

What if I have a GA appointment in addition to a fellowship?

If you have a graduate assistantship (e.g. teaching assistant, research assistant) appointment (at any percentage of full time equivalency), you are part of the bargaining unit as currently defined, are fully protected by the contract in your GA work, and will have dues deducted from your GA pay if you sign up for union membership, even if some or most of your stipend comes from a fellowship.

History of fellows and GLU-UE

Relevant Links