Indiana University grad workers are pledging to strike this fall. Here's why.

Despite recent concessions from the Indiana University administration, many Bloomington graduate workers say they have not been swayed from their pursuit of unionization. On Thursday, about 30 graduate workers rallied outside Memorial Stadium's Henke Hall of Champions, pledging to vote in favor of resuming the labor strike on IU Bloomington's campus for the incoming fall semester.

In April, many student graduate workers went on a labor strike for four weeks, requesting union recognition from the IU administration and an official process to discuss benefits, higher wages and fee reduction.

More:IU's graduate worker labor dispute explained

The graduate worker strike was suspended in May, but Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition members are set to vote again on Sept. 25 on whether to resume it. This could potentially result in hundreds of graduate workers, many of whom teach undergraduate classes, ceasing work on campus until their demands have been met.

How has IU's administration responded to graduate workers' demands?

In response to the labor dispute, the IU administration has announced a series of changes and new initiatives, but the board of trustees has been steadfast in rejecting unionization efforts. Administrators previously said graduate workers primarily function as students and are not permitted to unionize on IU's campus.

But that didn't stop graduate workers from yelling pro-unionization chants outside Memorial Stadium during the IU Board of Trustees' meeting on Thursday.

Graduate worker Nora Weber said this demonstration was just the launch of a strike pledge amongst IGWC members. The IGWC is now encouraging its members to pledge their commitment to continuing the labor strike until IU recognizes the organization as a union ahead of the vote.

Weber, a Ph.D. student at IU, said a graduate worker's student status does not discount their role as vital staff members of the university.

"We are certainly workers — we are teaching classes, we are leading labs, but we're also doing all sorts of other mentorship-type activities. We're doing grading, we're doing support (and) doing all these things that allow not only the students to succeed, but also faculty members and staff members who are working on research to be able to succeed and to be able to focus on their own research as well," Weber said. "Our ability to conduct research and teach is related to students' ability to learn and faculty's ability to teach."

Weber questioned the trustee's leadership on the issue.

More:New IU trustee explains her stance on grad worker union

"I think people are starting to ask like, 'Why is the IU Board of Trustees acting in a way that is anti-worker? Why will they not recognize the union of their workers?'" Weber said.

Benjamin Robinson, IU associate professor and chair of Germanic studies, spoke at the strike pledge rally, urging graduate workers to continue seeking union recognition from the administration.

Weber also emphasized that IGWC has received support from the Bloomington City Council, Monroe County Council and IU faculty.

"It's not only what's becoming standard for universities around the U.S. but something that is clearly supported by everyone on campus, so why is a very small group of people standing in the way?" Weber said.

More:IU Bloomington grad workers will be paid more, charged less

As decided by administrators earlier this month, IU Bloomington now covers mandatory graduate student fees of $1,435 currently paid by all SAAs, in addition to covering course-specific fees for their programs. IU Bloomington also increased the minimum campus stipend for graduate workers to $22,000, alongside a mandatory review process of SAA stipends every two years.

A stipend increase and fee coverage have been two long-lasting requests of the IGWC, but several graduate workers have said these changes don't go far enough to improve their working conditions.

"When you look at what our platform is, it just goes so far beyond a small raise and elimination of some fees," Weber said.

In addition to union recognition, the IGWC requests a neutral grievance procedure and coverage of fees related to graduate workers' status as international students.

Former IU graduate worker remarks on labor dispute: 'a strategic battle'

Just a little over a year ago, Aranya Lahiri was marching alongside his fellow graduate workers on Indiana University's Bloomington campus to protest university fees. Though Lahiri has since finished graduate school, he attended IGWC's strike pledge rally and spoke about how the movement has grown since he was first involved with it.

"When I was part of the organized movement, we knew that board of trustees would not recognize a union easily. It seemed (like) an impossibility," Lahiri said.

But that doesn't stand true today, according to Lahiri. Commenting on the fervor and energy experienced at the pledge rally, Lahiri said graduate workers are committed to seeing union recognition through.

"After all, board of trustees is like (nine) people, but if we have a thousand graduate workers who say, 'We want the union and that's what we want.' It's a strategic battle," Lahiri said. "(The trustees) occupy a strategic position in the university administration, but at the end of the day, I think with the right organizing and energy in the movement, their stance will become immaterial, at some point."

Weber also remarked on the growth of the coalition's progress.

"This time last year, we were just collecting union cards," Weber noted. "And now we are in preparation to continue with another strike at this time, less than six months after our last strike went on hiatus."

The IGWC will host a vote on Sept. 25 on whether to resume striking. The trustees have warned of "consequences" related to disrupting campus operations, such as non-reappointment of graduate workers or immediate termination from their position. However, many IGWC representatives remain vocal about continuing the labor dispute.

Rachel Smith covers Indiana University and student life for The Herald-Times. Reach her at rksmith@heraldt.com or on Twitter @RachelSmithNews.