On Aug. 27, while many upperclassmen were moving into their dorms, workers from Survice Employees International Union (SEIU) 509, which represents graduate student workers and part-time faculty, SEIU 888, which represents library staff, and SEIU 32BJ, which represents facilities staff, held a joint rally near the Brandeis Univeristy sign as they negotiate for a new contract. Their current contracts expire in June 2025, just after the end of this school year. The rally began at 1:30 p.m. and lasted for about an hour. The event was similar to one held by the unions back in April. 

Attendees held signs with messages such as “Top 10 programs deserve top 10 wages,” “Grads need dental” and “Brandeis works because we do.” Rally attendees heard stories from workers about their experiences. A grad student talked about the emotional toll of balancing teaching and studying that they didn’t think the administration understood. Another speaker said that “facilities workers at Brandeis are paid well below industry standards. Brandeis loves to brag about being an institution that punches above its weight, yet it pays well below it.” 

Graduate students that work as teaching assistants currently receive a stipend of $4,176 per course. Several grad students that attended the rally spoke about or had signs indicating that they had to work multiple jobs in addition to their coursework because their stipend is too low. The federal poverty level in 2024 is $15,060, so a graduate worker would have to TA for at least four courses to not live in poverty.  

The Brandeis Graduate Student Union and the Office of Human Resources did not respond to requests for comment.