Inside Higher Ed:
The AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers on Monday filed a complaint against the U.S. government with the International Labor Organization, a United Nations unit, over the National Labor Relations Board ruling that gave private universities the right to deny collective bargaining rights to graduate students who work as teaching assistants. The complaint argues that the NLRB ruling, which found that graduate students are primarily students and not employees, violates internationally recognized labor standards. While the International Labor Board does periodically issue condemnations of labor practices in various countries, it does not have legal power over the NLRB. Private universities have generally praised the NLRB ruling on the issue, and said that unions do not help graduate students or graduate education. The NLRB did not respond to a request for comment on the complaint. In a statement, ALF-CIO President John Sweeney said “it’s shameful that the Bush labor board chose to deny the fundamental freedom to join a union and bargain collectively to those tasked with performing critical research and teaching duties at our nation’s finest universities.”
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