Graduate assistants can participate in shared governance through the University Senate, Graduate Student Advisory Council and Graduate, Professional and Adult Council, as well as through advisory groups within graduate programs. The University will additionally continue with listening sessions and other informal channels through which graduate assistants can share their perspectives with senior administration and faculty.

We believe graduate students who are engaged in teaching and research as part of their academic program are fundamentally students and, therefore, do not qualify as “employees” within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. Their primary role is academic. Graduate assistants are neither hired nor employed by the University. Rather, they are selected as students on the basis of their academic achievements. Their acceptance into our graduate programs and the degree awarded to them at the end of their graduate education are based on academic standards and not on labor or employment standards.

Consistent with our position, which is shared broadly within the higher education community, we are challenging graduate assistants’ eligibility for representation. Click here for more details about our philosophy on the role of graduate assistants. 

Catholic Social Teaching recognizes the rights of workers and others to organize to protect their interests. It does not teach that unions are the only, or even preferred, way to protect those interests. Catholic Social Teaching requires that organizations, including colleges and universities, find some method to achieve their social ends, promote integral human development, and protect the common good. It is just and principled to recognize the important relationship between the institution and our graduate assistants, address their needs, and provide space for dialogue, but it need not be through a union. It should also be noted that Catholic Social Teaching requires that the University and its constituent members both be guided toward the common good and not just maximizing their own economic interests. Through an academic relationship with our graduate assistants, we seek to demonstrate our social justice commitment by continuing to make improvements to our graduate assistants’ stipends, scholarships, and other forms of support.  These measures are also intended to ensure that our practices remain competitive with comparable institutions. 

No. To be clear, we are not anti-union. We are pro-social justice, and we greatly respect the voice of Loyola employees and students. Our recognition of, and ongoing relationship with, unionized part-time and full-time non-tenure track faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, our new police union and  our longstanding relationship with maintenance employee unions, demonstrates our respect for the decision by those groups of employees to be represented by a union. However, we do not consider graduate assistants to be employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act as they are admitted via an academic program and are neither hired nor employed by Loyola. We respect our graduate assistants and continue to seek their input through well-established shared governance bodies—including University Senate, Graduate Student Advisory Council and Graduate, Professional and Adult Student Council—as well as through advisory groups within graduate programs. Finally, we are committed to evaluating the support we provide on an ongoing basis and making improvements when warranted, as evidenced by the recently awarded stipend increases.