Graduate student workers at the University of Maine have engaged in ongoing negotiations with the University of Maine System (UMS) since Dec. 20 2023. The University of Maine Graduate Workers Union (UMGWU) claims the extended gridlock over certain issues, including potential cuts to essential support services such as visa and tax assistance, puts international graduate students at risk amid ongoing federal immigration uncertainties. Yet, UMaine claims the hold up comes from financial restrictions placed on the university by the federal government.

UMGWU members assert that the prolonged stalemate is not only undermining their economic security but also stripping away vital support services. 

“We are demanding that UMS commit to bargaining over the impacts of any cuts to critical resources currently relied upon by international graduate workers, such as visa assistance,” said Tricia Hall Collins, a Ph.D student in the Earth and Climate Science department.

Collins argued that international graduate students depend on resources such as relocation assistance and visa support to succeed- and that threats to these services during times of heightened federal scrutiny are “unacceptable.”

“The response from UMS has been incredibly disappointing. International graduate workers have come to bargaining sessions numerous times to directly relay their concerns and speak to the value of currently-offered programming. UMS has continued to insist that they maintain the power to unilaterally cut these programs and then will only ‘meet and discuss’ the impacts – this is unacceptable to us,” said Collins. “And to be clear, we have moved toward UMS’s position substantially to try to strike a compromise.”

Charlotte Begouen Demeaux, a graduate student in Marine Sciences and dual French-Canadian citizen, echoed these concerns and criticized the university’s lack of urgency.

“I first heard about the union in 2022, and it gave me a space to voice my concerns and feel heard,” said Demeaux, who recalled arriving at UMaine during a time when skyrocketing housing prices, expensive and limited university health insurance and the challenges of navigating the U.S. visa process compounded her difficulties. Demeaux also shared that the Office of International Programs had once been a crucial resource, but growing fears over the future have spurred her to seek stronger institutional support.

In her correspondence with Chancellor Malloy’s office, Demeaux made a direct appeal for impact bargaining, a proposal that would require the university to negotiate any changes to services provided to international graduate workers before they are implemented. 

“Every day that UMaine refuses to engage on these topics makes us feel more unwelcome,” said Demeaux.

Demeaux’s email, detailing the anxiety of potentially losing her ability to remain in the United States, received a brief reply from Rowena Clukey of the Chancellor’s Office stating only that it was “not appropriate” for the Chancellor to address matters related to active negotiations.

Peter Howe, a Ph.D. candidate in Forestry Resources and member of UMGWU-UAW, reinforced the union’s concerns, warning that the delay is having far-reaching implications. 

“We as grad workers want to be here, and we want to see the university thrive. But without a strong financial plan for improving the lives of grad workers, research and education will suffer greatly,” said Howe. 

Howe stressed that the prolonged absence of a contract has already pushed many students to consider transferring to other institutions. 

“While the University tells us we’re valued workers and community members, after 500-plus days without a contract, we’re still waiting for them to show us,” said Howe.

In response, University Representative Samantha Warren, who is Chief External Government Affairs Officer for UMS, insisted that UMS values the important contributions of graduate student workers. 

“We continue to bargain in good faith and are committed to achieving an agreement that is responsive to the requests of these respected student workers and the operational needs and increasingly constrained resources of our public institutions. As a public university system, our ability to improve work opportunities and conditions without shifting costs to our students and their families in the form of unreasonable tuition increases largely depends on our State appropriation, which was recently held flat by the Legislature for the coming biennium (FY26 and FY27), and our federal grants and contracts, millions of dollars of which have been paused or even terminated in the past three months,” said Warren.

Warren also touched on the challenges facing international students and the university’s attempts to provide support.

“Given the changing federal landscape and immigration enforcement activities, we are sensitive to the incredible uncertainty our international students are increasingly experiencing. We continue to make resources and additional support available to our international students and all students, including through the UMaine Office of International Programs (OIP),” said Warren.

Warren then emphasized the university’s commitment to free speech and peaceful assembly.

“Our System will continue to be unequivocal in protecting and promoting the Constitutional right to free speech, which also includes the right to free expression and free assembly, provided those activities do not violate the law, threaten public safety or disrupt our universities’ ability to operate. We also believe that with that fundamental right to free speech also comes the opportunity and the obligation to listen,” said Warren.

However, UMGWU-UAW members argue that financial constraints do not justify a 500-day delay in negotiations or the refusal to enter into impact bargaining over essential international support services.

“UMaine has repeatedly delayed getting back to our bargaining team with counter-proposals,” said Demeaux. 

She recalled that even after submitting economic proposals more than two months ago, UMGWU-UAW has yet to receive a concrete response. Demeaux stressed that recent federal actions, including unexplained visa revocations, have exacerbated fears among international students. 

“In these terrifying times, when news headlines are filled with reports of visa revocations and minor infractions spiraling into major issues, the failure of UMaine to commit to impact bargaining is not just a policy shortfall — it’s a threat to our very ability to remain here,” Demeaux said.

Howe also highlighted the potential long-term impact on the university’s academic mission.

 “Without graduate workers, this university cannot accomplish its mission,” he warned, adding that the loss of top talent due to protracted negotiations could significantly curtail UMaine’s research and teaching capacities.

While the administration works within the confines of its fiscal reality, UMGWU-UAW representatives insist that a failure to secure a comprehensive contract risks not only compromising the financial well-being of graduate workers but also undermining the integrity and global competitiveness of the university.

With each day that passes without a resolution, international graduate workers — already grappling with the challenges of maintaining visas and navigating U.S. immigration policies — face the growing possibility of having to abandon their academic pursuits. The stalled negotiations have not only heightened personal anxieties, but have also drawn public attention to broader questions about the institution’s commitment to its most vulnerable community members. 

Union supporters have mobilized campus action. In her closing remarks, Collins called on the UMaine community — students, faculty, and staff, to join a rally scheduled for April 24 at MLK Plaza on the Orono campus stating, “We need the entire university community behind us as we stand up for international graduate workers.”