Graduate Student Union
Since July 1, 2018, a collective bargaining agreement between Brandeis University and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 509 has governed the terms of employment for PhD students who work as Teaching Assistants (TAs) or Teaching Fellows (TFs) during their academic career. Under the Union contract, these students are called Graduate Assistants. We have put together the following FAQs to explain who is eligible to join the union and to provide some information about how you may be impacted. We will periodically update these FAQs as other common questions arise.
We recommend that all students who are eligible for membership read the entire contract, which includes more detailed information than can be presented here.
For information on the Graduate Student Union's childcare subsidy, please visit our family resources page.
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Generally, PhD students who are serving as Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows are covered by the collective bargaining agreement. Master’s and PhD students who are not serving in one of those capacities are not part of the bargaining unit and therefore not covered by the agreement. PhD students who are paid by the hour, graders and research assistants are also not covered by the agreement. The definition of Teaching Fellow and Teaching Assistant as specified in the contract, are as follows:
Teaching Assistant. Teaching Assistant duties may include, but are not limited to, assisting the professor with: course preparation before and during the semester; Latte maintenance; grading essays, exams and homework; syllabus design; writing exam questions. Teaching Assistants may be required to attend classes on a regular basis. Teaching Assistants may also be responsible for some instructional duties, including the following: lead discussion sessions, labs and recitations and/or teach an occasional class. They may also be response for some student advising and may be required to hold office hours. Teaching Assistants are required to complete Title IX training.
Teaching Fellow. Teaching Fellows, with Program and faculty leadership and oversight, are the Instructor of Record and are responsible for lesson planning and implementation, administration and grading of assessment tools, student advising and holding office hours. Teaching Fellows are required to complete Title IX training.
No. This contract covers you only in the semesters when you are assigned as a TA or TF (see FAQ 1)
Compensation rates for Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows are set by the contract for the next three years.
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For all schools
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Effective July 1, 2021
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Effective July 1, 2022
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Effective July 1, 2023
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Teaching Assistant
Teaching Fellow
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$3,870.00
$5,150.00
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$4,023.00
$5,303.00
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$4,176.00
$5,456.00
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In academic programs where serving as a TA or TF is a required component of the student’s academic program, when a Graduate Assistant serves as a TA or TF to satisfy their program’s teaching requirement, a portion of the academic fellowship will be offset by the TA or TF rate. Graduate Assistants who have completed their program’s teaching requirement, or who teach in addition to their program requirement during a semester, shall receive their full academic fellowship in addition to their TA or TF wage.
Teaching Fellows are considered instructors of record as are adjunct/part-time faculty. When PhD students are hired as instructors of record to satisfy the requirements of their academic programs, they are covered by the Graduate Assistants’ Collective Bargaining Agreement and are paid as Teaching Fellows. When PhD students are hired as instructors of record for courses and the teaching assignment is not being used to satisfy their academic program requirements, they will be paid as adjunct faculty members and will be covered by the Part-Time Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Unions set rules regarding membership internally. Questions on union eligibility, rights, dues, and other matters should be addressed to your union representative. Please note that the collective bargaining agreement between the University and SEIU provides that as a condition of employment for TA and TF positions, Graduate Assistants shall either become a union members and pay the union dues, or in lieu of becoming a union members, pay the union agency fees
If you choose to join the union, dues will be required. Those who choose not to join will be charged an agency fee that covers the cost of union representation. Please consult the SEIU Local 509 with questions.
We recommend that all eligible PhD students to review the entire
contract. Those who have additional questions can contact their school or union representative.