Question 1

What is UTGWU?

Accepted Answer

UTGWU is a labor union founded for and by UT Austin graduate students. Our vision is a UT Austin where we graduate students are paid a living wage, are treated with respect and dignity, and have our voices heard on campus issues that matter to us.

Question 2

That all sounds great, but how do you plan on accomplishing this?

Accepted Answer

UT Austin graduate students play an integral role in both the teaching and research missions of the university. Despite the importance of our labor, however, we are systemically undervalued. By banding together and creating a strike-ready union, we can use the value of our labor and our ability to withhold it to force concessions from university administration, who have a strong interest in ensuring that the university keeps running smoothly.

Question 3

But aren’t unions illegal in Texas?

Accepted Answer

Unions are not illegal in Texas! Joining UTGWU and organizing with the union is legally protected, and it is against the law* for the University to retaliate against you. There are many ways that UTGWU can advocate, including rallies, leafleting, and demonstrations, that are consistent with UT policy. However, while striking is not a criminal offense, it is a civil one, which means that public employers like the University can retaliate against employees like us for participating in a strike. If UTGWU were to organize a strike, the participants in that action would face a risk of termination. However, the terms of the strike, including which graduate student workers might participate, would be a collective decision, and all members would have a voice in those decisions. In particular, a union-wide strike would only occur if a majority of union members vote to approve it. We believe that with a large enough union body, it would be more harmful to the University to punish us than to concede to our demands.

* §617.004, Texas Government Code; §101.001, Texas Labor Code

Question 4

Does UTGWU have union dues?

Accepted Answer

At this time there are no dues associated with joining UTGWU. While our long-term strategy will likely require dues, we understand that many graduate students are struggling to make ends meet. We will only collect dues if and when we have earned the trust of the UT Austin graduate student community and believe that the collected dues will directly further their interests. Collecting dues would be a collective decision, and all members would have a voice.

Question 5

How is UTGWU protecting members’ privacy?

Accepted Answer

UTGWU takes precautions to ensure that our members’ communications and information are secure. We store all documents and records in non-UT accounts and communicate through non-UT email addresses and through Signal, an encrypted messaging app.

Question 6

How is UTGWU structured?

Accepted Answer

Any UT graduate student is welcome to attend organizing meetings, contribute ideas, and shape the direction of our work. We strive to operate democratically, have no leadership hierarchy, and, whenever possible, try to achieve consensus around decisions we are making. We will need a robust and diverse set of voices contributing to our work to succeed, and we encourage any graduate students who are passionate about fighting for better working conditions and a better UT to get involved — just contact us and we will get you up to speed in no time.

Recruitment organizers play a central role in our union, working to bring graduate student workers into our union and helping them get involved in our union's activities. Any union member can become a recruitment organizer, the time commitment required is minimal, and we will teach you everything you need to know to be successful. You can sign up here to become a recruitment organizer today.

In addition, we currently have the following elected positions in our organization: 
Recruitment Organizer Liaison
Member Interest Meeting Coordinator
Incoming Communications Team (2)
Newsletter Editor
Coalition Liaison
Materials Coordinator
Social Coordinator

Every member serving in one of these positions has been elected by direct vote of our union membership, and will continue to serve until the end of Spring 2026. These members dedicate a couple hours each week to maintain and advance our union's operations, building toward our objectives set by membership-wide organizing meetings and votes. Crucially, the decision-making power of our union rests not in these elected positions but in the voices of our members.

Question 7

Does UTGWU have a constitution?

Accepted Answer

We have a set of general rules for the union that outline our founding principles and broad operating procedures. These rules can only be modified with the consent of the majority of our membership.

Question 8

What about elections?

Accepted Answer

While strategic decisions are made collectively by all members of our union, UTGWU elects members to specific positions that carry out our union’s mission through ongoing operational work:

Recruitment Organizer Liaison
Member Interest Meeting Coordinator
Incoming Communications Team (2)
Newsletter Editor
Coalition Liaison
Materials Coordinator
Social Coordinator

Our last election was conducted through the following process:
1) Any member in good standing could nominate any other member, including themselves, to any role.
2) Members who accept nominations are given time to speak at an organizing meeting.
3) Voting is open to all union members, and lasts for one week. Candidates are chosen based on majority vote.

Members currently in these positions were elected by our membership at the end of Fall 2025. Their service began at the start of Spring 2026 and will continue until the end of the semester. At that time, our union will collectively decide on whether to keep this set of roles and role assignment process or to adopt new ones.

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