Frequently Asked Questions
This page offers answers to common questions about the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached between the University and the BU Graduate Workers Union (BUGWU). We will be updating this page continuously.
If you have a question about University processes or operations that is not yet addressed below, please email unionfaq@bu.edu. Students represented by BUGWU should reach out to their union representative with any specific questions about the contract or terms and conditions of their employment.
Compensation
When will my compensation changes show up in my paycheck?
New rates go into effect on Friday, November 15, for work completed on or after that date. While some adjustments may process earlier, new rates will be reflected in the Friday, November 22 payroll.
Why don't I see the increase I expected in my November 15 paycheck?
Article 18 of the new collective bargaining agreement requires new rates go into effect 30 days after ratification of the contract. The contract was ratified on October 16, 2024, so new rates go into effect on November 15 and will be reflected in the next pay cycle, with a pay date of Friday, November 22.
Am I eligible for overbase pay?
Only master’s and professional students in hourly roles who work more than 20 hours in a week are eligible for overbase. According to Article 18.2 of the collective bargaining agreement, “In the event that a Graduate Worker paid on an hourly basis voluntarily agrees to work more than twenty (20) hours in one week, and such agreement is approved by the Supervisor, the Graduate Worker’s additional time shall be compensated at a rate one and a half (1.5) times greater than their normal effective hourly rate.”
I have a question about my paycheck. Who should I contact?
Benefits
When will new benefits go into effect and how can I enroll?
Implementing the contract is a complex endeavor, and teams across the University are working with urgency to activate new benefits as quickly as possible. Some benefits are available immediately, while others will be coming online in the weeks to come. Visit our benefits page to learn more about the status of new benefits and find links to sign up as they become available.
Attestation
I didn’t attest or forgot to attest during spring, summer, or fall 2024 payroll weeks when I was actually performing work for the University. What should I do now?
Now that the strike is over, students are no longer required to attest weekly to their work effort.
Students may still back-attest for work completed during the strike period, from March 25, 2024-October 16, 2024, using the following link: https://bostonu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_es9OOtyTOqNOrQy.
If you have any questions about the wage attestation process, please contact unionfaq@bu.edu.
Union Membership & Dues
Who is included in Boston University Graduate Workers Union (BUGWU)?
BUGWU includes all graduate student workers (master’s, professional, and PhD students) who engage in research, instructional, or teaching work on behalf of the University. Non-service graduate students, graduate students performing other types of paid service work, and undergraduate students are not included in the unit.
How do I know if my position is part of the bargaining unit?
All service-paid research, instructional, or teaching roles performed by graduate students enrolled at the University are part of the bargaining unit.
Do I have to join the union and pay dues?
Under the terms of the agreement, bargaining unit members must either become a union member and pay dues or pay an agency fee to the union (without becoming a member).
Union dues and agency fees are essentially a service charge to cover the union’s costs for administering the CBA. BUGWU SEIU 509 determines the fee levels for membership and the agency fee membership – not the University.
When will membership dues be taken out in payroll?
If you choose to join the union, the dues will be deducted from your pay each payday only after the University has received and processed your dues authorization form. If you choose to pay an agency fee in lieu of union membership, as is your right, the agency fee will be deducted from your pay.
Students will see the first dues, agency fees, and COPE fees withheld on Friday, February 21 for the payroll week of February 10.
If a graduate student receives some pay for bargaining unit work and some pay for non-bargaining unit work in the same pay period, which portion will be subject to union dues?
Only the portion of pay that was for bargaining unit work will have union dues deducted.
Are international students eligible to be in the union?
Yes. Being in a union does not impact student visas or immigration status, and international students holding instructional, teaching, or research positions are included in the bargaining unit.
Will graduate students be in the bargaining unit for the duration of their studies?
Not always. Graduate students may alternate between being in the bargaining unit and not being in the bargaining unit based on whether they are providing service-paid instructional or research services for the University in any given semester or on a non-service stipend.
This means that it is possible that two students in the same program or same research group may not both be in the bargaining unit. For example, a graduate student who is exclusively performing administrative work as a graduate assistant would not be in the bargaining unit, whereas one who is a teaching fellow would be in the bargaining unit. Similarly, a graduate student paid on a non-service fellowship, but performing research, would not be in the unit, while a graduate student paid as a service research fellow would be in the unit. Students who have questions about whether their role falls into the bargaining unit should refer to the recognition clause of the CBA (Article 1) or reach out to their union representative.
Questions
When should I reach out to the University versus the union representative?
Students should reach out to unionfaq@bu.edu with any questions about compensation or how to apply for benefits under the contract. Any specific questions about the contract or the terms and conditions of employment should be directed to union representatives.
University Policies/Practices on Graduate Student Hiring
Implementing the BUGWU CBA, including its requirement for similar workload expectations for similar assignments, provides an opportunity to standardize the University’s graduate student employment practices, more consistently enforce University policy on student work hours, and integrate the now 12-month PhD educational model into the way the University hires and compensates students. The FAQs in this section offer responses to the most common questions from recent community town halls about graduate student hiring at BU.
Are graduate workers allowed to work more than 20 hours per week?
During the academic semester, graduate workers are not permitted to work more than 20 hours per week (per BU’s policy on student work hours).
PhD students now receive 12 months of continuous stipend support reflecting 20 hours per week of work. PhD students should not work more than 20 hours per week even during University break periods. Their effort should be captured within their stipend and those 20 total hours of work.
Master’s and professional students in hourly positions can work more than 20 hours per week during University break periods (e.g., Intersession) with approval from the Associate Provost of Graduate Affairs but, if in BUGWU-represented roles, they would earn 1.5x the hourly rate for every hour past 20 hours. They cannot exceed 40 hours per week even during official University break periods.
Can programs and departments still hire PhD students as graders/social media assistants/event assistants and offer compensation on top of their base pay?
Programs and departments can build a range of responsibilities (such as grading) into a PhD student position (such as a teaching fellowship), but they cannot offer hours or compensation beyond what is built into the PhD student’s job assignment. PhD students should work no more than 20 hours per week. Their effort should be captured within their stipend and those 20 total hours of work.
We realize some programs and departments previously lowered the hourly requirement on the full stipend to 15 hours so that PhD students had room in their full-time employment to take on “additional” responsibilities that were paid as over-base even though their overall effort was 20 hours per week. The full stipend must be offered consistently in exchange for 20 hours per week across the University (as students should have similar workloads in similar roles). That said, if programs or departments wish to raise their overall minimum stipend and apply that minimum consistently across all of their service-paid students, they may pay above the minimums established in the BUGWU collective bargaining agreement.
This may be an opportunity for programs and departments to reconfigure research or teaching allocation needs in innovative ways that incorporate the PhD student work model. For example, students may offer instructional services in teams, or a student may have two roles reflecting effort in research and teaching that are distributed across 20 hours per week.
When can master’s and professional students be hired in salaried roles? When should their roles be set up as hourly positions?
If master’s and professional students are working full-time (20 hours per week) they can be hired in a salaried (“stipended”) role. Those students working less than 20 hours per week must be hired in hourly positions.
