University of Vermont · UAW Local 2322
Graduate Students United
UVM works because we do.
We teach the courses, run the labs, advise the students, and produce the research that the University of Vermont runs on. Together, we are working toward a contract that reflects the cost of living in Burlington — with a living wage, real healthcare, and a clear, written process when things go wrong.
Considering a UVM grad program? Read this first.
The community here is genuinely great. The math on the stipend isn't — and you deserve to know that before signing your offer letter. We've put together a candid guide on cost of living, housing, the benefits cliff, and the resources that exist if you're coming anyway.
Our mission
A living wage, real benefits, and a quality of life worth staying for.
We are graduate workers at UVM. We bargain in good faith for a contract that pays a living wage in Burlington, covers real healthcare including dental and vision, and gives every graduate worker a clear, written process when something goes wrong.
$2,803
Monthly basic needs in Vermont — single adult, shared housing (2024).
Source: VT JFO Basic Needs Budget via UNION-PDF
$21.06/hr
Hourly livable wage for 2026 — VT JFO base figure adjusted for the Consumer Price Index.
Source: UNION-PDF
$30,366.64
9-month salaried equivalent at $21.06/hr — the union's compensation target.
Source: UNION-PDF
The gap
What the stipend covers, and what it does not.
The comparison tool lays the current stipend next to an estimated living wage for the area. Choose a household scenario to see the monthly breakdown.
A right you can't enforce isn't a right.
UVM agrees the contract should have a grievance procedure. Their counter then quietly carves out Non-Discrimination — so the protection exists on paper, but no neutral arbitrator can ever enforce it. Eleven peer unions already have what we're asking for.
First three rows of the Tale of Two Systems
UVM-only path
What UVM is proposing
Union path
What we're bargaining for
- Who makes the final call✕UVM alone.✓A neutral outside arbitrator.
- Fixed timelines at each step✕None — investigation runs at UVM's discretion.✓Guaranteed at every step of the grievance procedure.
- Union representative with you✕No.✓Yes, from Step 1 onward.
In members' words
Testimonies from graduate workers.
These are placeholder excerpts. Final quotes will be reviewed and approved by the contributors before publication.
Between rent, groceries, utilities, and keeping my bike running, I save nothing. I live paycheck to paycheck.
Raghav Bhutani
PhD candidate, Mathematics
I regularly relied on the Swipe Out Hunger meal program and visited local food pantries. A graduate student at a university generating $1.33 billion for Vermont, walking to a food pantry to cover basic nutritional needs.
Anonymous
Graduate Student Employee
Rent is so high I have to share housing even when I badly need my own space. Add student loans and groceries, and there's nothing left — and I can't even consider cheaper housing farther out because public transportation here isn't reliable.
Anonymous
Graduate Student Employee
Stronger together.
Membership is open to every graduate worker at UVM. Sign on or learn more about how the union operates.