For a better PhD in the Biosciences.

Read the full letter

Read our stories

Sign the letter

Press: Daily Cardinal | WORT – start at 28:00 |

We request that the Steering Committees of iBio, BME, CMB, iPiB, Genetics & MDTP:

  1. Raise our stipend to $40,006. 
  2. Eliminate unpaid teaching requirements.
  3. Enact efforts to improve workplace conditions for graduate students.
  4. Respect our right to concerted activity.

Endorsed by: UW-Madison United Faculty & Staff; UW-Green Bay United Faculty & Staff; Teaching Assistants’ Association; Steven’s Point Academic Representation Council; UW-Whitewater United; Faculty & Staff of UW-Oshkosh

FAQ

What has the TAA done for Biosciences graduate students?

Similar letters in iPiB, CMB, and MDTP in 2022 and 2023 won raises, international student fee relief, better program DEI, and increased graduate student representation on program committees. Keep in mind that in MDTP for example, there were multiple years where they received NO raise (shown below). None of these changes would have been possible without each grad student’s decision to sign on. The union is workers, united.

Why are you asking for such big changes? Why are you asking for things our program’s Steering/Coordinating Committees won’t like?

We believe we must ask for what we need! It is important to document our experiences as graduate workers in the biosciences. We must create a better future for the next students who want to pursue a PhD. We all deserve enough money to live, enough time to do our research, and a supportive lab environment. We deserve these things because we work hard, we bring in millions of dollars of grant money, and we mentor the next generation of scientists.

Without us, there would be no research papers, there would be no science.

PI’s and program administration may not like that we are asking for a raise, or that we are asking to report lab retention numbers. That is why the union is well-positioned to make our asks. We can sit down with decision makers and negotiate, even if it is uncomfortable, over these issues while protecting often-vulnerable graduate student workers – but we can only do that with your endorsement, in the form of your signature. The union has strength in numbers, money from pooled dues, access to legal counsel and media, support from unionized workers nationwide, and political leverage.

We can only win improvements to our working conditions with your signature. There may be hard conversations ahead. As a union, we are equipped for any disagreements and are excited to work with administration – which is why we asked to meet with the Chancellor last year.

If we make more money, won’t they just replace us with postdocs?
Union organizers have been threatened multiple times that if we make more, we’ll be replaced with research techs or postdocs (which, actually, is an illegal threat against concerted action under state law). What will really happen is if we make more, postdocs will make more! It will be easier for them to ask for more and organize, and, naturally they have more experience so should make more. We will raise the stipends for everyone!

Our Steering Committees have already given us raises – why should we ask for more?

In the letter, we acknowledge past efforts to raise the stipend. Unfortunately, graduate students are still struggling to make ends meet. The cost of living in Madison is rising! It’s not being greedy or overly demanding to assert that our pay should keep up with rent costs. We’ve collected a ton of stories of people really struggling on the current stipend.  Read our stories

We don’t believe that it’s OK to keep things as they are now for any reason. If we don’t raise pay, more people are going to leave their projects which is going to hurt science.  There are going to be fewer people able to do research effectively and fewer people going into research. Obviously, this is also going to both prohibit underrepresented students from pursuing a PhD and put more of a burden on them, since you can’t really get by without generational wealth, a partner or a second job. 

What we are asking for are reasonable improvements to our working conditions. Some could say a living wage, transparency, payment for our labor, and respect to our legal rights are the ‘bare minimum.’

Can my PI see if I have signed the letter?

The full letter with all signatures will only be sent to Steering Committees of the listed programs (MDTP, iPiB, CMB, etc.) not to individual PIs. In addition, there is an option to withhold your name until over 50% of your program has signed on. There is strength in numbers, and retaliation against you/your program for signing a union petition is illegal.

If my program isn’t on the list, can I sign the letter?

Yes !!! Solidarity forever. If you would like to add your program to the Biosciences letter and join our organizing, reach out to taa@taa-madison.org.

If you are an alumn, community member, faculty, staff, etc… please sign on in solidarity if you support, and share with friends. It’s important we share our stories of our lives as Biosciences grad students.

Why aren’t you going through Steering Committee / shared governance?

Program shared governance committees are a wonderful way for students to get involved with the program. But they haven’t yet delivered on important workplace issues like a living wage for graduate workers, paid leave, or meaningful protections against harassment, which is why we have written this letter.

Most program’s shared governance committees have graduate students outnumbered, which makes it difficult for us to negotiate over big issues like stipend. In addition, shared governance committees only have 2-5 or so graduate workers. Our union represents all graduate students, and past biosciences letters represented 60-75% of the programs! We have much more power when we join together. Our union gives us a voice we do not otherwise have.

I like my lab and my program. Why should I sign?

Awesome! We all have fallen in love with science and care about our jobs, which is why we’re doing a PhD. We also want to make it better for other students and the students who come after. Even if your lab is supportive, or you feel comfortable on the stipend; other students do not. We want a Biosciences where good working conditions are guaranteed. Unfortunately, good working conditions in the Biosciences are not yet guaranteed.

Still – please share your story! Why do you like your lab and program? What has made your PhD enjoyable? We will share your story as an example of what we want to fight for for everyone!

Will increased graduate stipends hurt labs with smaller budgets?

The majority of the grant money labs bring in is taken by UW-Madison – over 50%. A few thousand increase from $36k to $40k per student is not going to make or break a lab bringing in any meaningful grant money from the simple math. However, the % of the grant UW takes would, and that cost is increasing. Tuition ($12k/student) and fringe (~$7k/student) have also increased, and seem to be taxing labs for taking on students, and we don’t see that money or get any benefit from it (tuition is charged even when we’re taking classes).

However, we have seen recent efforts (past 2 years or so) to lower the amount of tuition the UW charges. Biosciences faculty only began advocating for decreased tuition only after the 2022 MDTP letter. That is, by showing we desperately need higher stipends, we push advocacy for the opening up of funds from tuition.

Grad students only get paid for 20 hours of work when we’re doing 40 (or more). To us, that seems any PI, with a small budget or large, is getting quite the deal. We do understand the stress on lab budgets, but feel that the stress is not due to graduate worker stipends. Every lab, and employer for that matter, should be fully able to support its workers’ livelihoods.

Any more questions? Ask taa@taa-madison.org!