UE Local 1466-United Grad Workers (UGW) at the University of New Mexico ratified their second contract on October 27 after seven months at the negotiation table. Graduate workers at the University of New Mexico fought long and hard to secure six percent raises to minimums and across the board for their bargaining unit, the highest wages won across university union negotiations this year.
The local also won new articles that cover intellectual property and academic freedom, an increasingly important topic given the ongoing threats from the federal government on the rights of academic workers. Additionally, Local 1466 won a new International Workers’ Rights Article that explicitly protects international workers, secures their right to request time off for visa appointments, and commits the university to not submit immigration information to the government unless legally required to do so.
Preparation for Negotiations
Preparation for this negotiation session started long before the expiration of the previous contract. A unit-wide survey was administered in 2024 over the course of four months. The survey was completed by a majority of UGW members (63 percent of membership). This survey helped the bargaining committee set priorities which reflected the living conditions, financial realities, and experiences of graduate workers at UNM. Workers strongly prioritized winning higher wages as their most important issue, followed by comprehensive vision and dental benefits, dependent healthcare coverage, and international worker protections. Membership voted to approve these priorities at a general membership meeting and this set the tone for the bargaining committee’s negotiation work.
Slow Summer
Due to the nature of graduate school, member engagement was lowest during the summer months. The administration used this to their advantage and sparsely scheduled bargaining sessions during the springtime to push us into summer sessions. This did not stop the bargaining committee from maintaining communication with membership and in July, the bargaining committee announced an open call to members to speak directly to the administration’s bargaining team.
Over 20 members submitted statements or appeared in person to share the stories of their lived experiences, including how access to dental or vision insurance could relieve them of stress and physical pain. They also wrote that support for graduate workers with dependents could help them finish their degree on time and move into their career. The administration’s team, whose three combined salaries are higher than the 11 grad workers’ salaries on the bargaining committee, is so out of touch with the grad worker’s reality that they were speechless when confronted with hearing these struggles. The impact these statements had on the union’s bargaining team was immense, and a reminder of what and who we are fighting for when we come to the table.
The Fall Semester Begins
After seeing little to no movement over the summer months, grad workers at UNM organized several actions to force the administration to meet the union’s bargaining priorities. On the first day of school in August, grad workers organized a rally that coincided with the university president’s ice cream social. Several speakers talked about the hard work that graduate workers do to keep the university running and how the lack of a living wage and comprehensive benefits make graduate school life difficult. The rally then marched over to the ice cream social and workers stood in line to speak directly to President Stokes for over 45 minutes, telling her their personal stories face to face.
The workers continued to escalate in September and held a work-in outside of the provost’s office. Over 100 workers dropped in throughout the day, bringing computers, textbooks, and even holding office hours in the hallway. Upper administration was forced to see workers as they went up and down the hallways to use the restroom or get to their meetings. Two members, Abi Granath and Rae French, were able to meet directly with the Interim Provost Barbara Rodriguez and explain why we were there and what our priorities at the table were.
Membership Steps Up
After the strong participation in the work-in, our membership was excited to keep putting pressure on the administration. They were tired of hearing “the budget is like a pie” analogy and that “there just isn’t enough money.”
Two of the banners hung around campus.
On the morning of September 24, a day that a bargaining session was scheduled, a small group of members designed fliers, posters, and banners to post around school in the early morning hours. Banners hung from trees and fences with posters covering doors and lampposts across campus. The message was spread through campus but it wasn’t long before campus security began surveilling members. By 9am, banners were cut and posters were thrown out, but this action helped to finally secure language from administration on the International Workers article!
More members engaged in one final action, a picket to shut down traffic at one of the busiest bus turnarounds on campus. On Friday October 3, members showed up to march and chant for hours, while the UNM police department came to reroute students and buses. Members spoke with students, faculty, and other workers that walked by to tell them about the contract struggle. When the bargaining team walked into the bargaining session that afternoon, administration was able to “find” more money to get us to the six percent raise.
"I am extremely proud of the members of Local1466,” said former Local 1466 President Ramona Malczynski, “We were prepared with an escalation plan because we know that every time we negotiate with the UNM Administration even small wins will be hard-fought. We did not get discouraged when the administration was not moving on their initial proposals and mounted pressure through strong union actions like our rally on the first day of the semester, our sit-in in the provost's office, our banner campaign and our traffic-stopping picket. Through the actions of our members, we won more than we initially thought possible."
Pushing for More Funding at the Legislature
The efforts don’t just stop at the bargaining table. UGW is also partnering with the New Mexico Higher Education Department to advance legislation related to graduate worker pay, healthcare, and tuition. Local 1466’s Data Team recently published A Data-Driven Report on 2024–25 Salaries, Insurance, and Tuition in New Mexico, a comprehensive analysis showing that graduate workers keep the state’s universities running while being paid far below what it takes to meet basic needs. Graduate workers often labor without the healthcare protections provided to other public employees, and in many cases are forced to pay back a portion of their own wages just to remain enrolled in the courses their jobs require. Union members are fighting to change that — advancing legislation that raises graduate worker salaries to a sustainable level, guarantees employer-funded medical and dental coverage, and ensures full tuition remission so workers are no longer subsidizing their employers. Together, these reforms move New Mexico toward a higher education system that values the workers who make it possible.
The UE Local 1466 Bargaining Committee consisted of President and Co-Lead Negotiator Ramona Malczynski, Clerical Director and Co-Lead Negotiator Lexi Kenis, Director of Organizing Dom Oddo, Treasurer Oona Takano, Data Chair Zach Strasberg, Communication Chair Ashley Bernardo, and Area Stewards Max Pagano, Alicia Esquivel, Wilber Dominguez, Alex Baten, and Jay Jay Rawson. They were assisted by Field Organizer Jason Santos.
The Local 1466-UGW bargaining committee. Top row, left to right: Wilber Dominguez, Alicia Esquivel, Ashley Bernardo, Jay Jay Rawson, Zach Strasberg. Bottom row, left to right: Alex Baten, Lexi Kenis, Dom Oddo. Not pictured: Ramona Malczynski, Oona Takano, and Max Pagano.