NLRB rules graduate students are employees
I am sure that this will be an unpopular opinion but I think this is wrong. Graduate students are students. They are paying to be in school. They may be paying for it with money gained from the University but they are still students. Should an undergrad that is on a university scholarship be considered an employee too? How are the economic realities of grad school any different from undergrad? If you can&#x27;t afford to go to school, you have a few choices: debt, poverty, or don&#x27;t go to school. If you have a family, you have to factor them into your choice too.<p>All this being said, I went to graduate school and received a master&#x27;s degree in Civil Engineering. I was able to be fully funded through the research that I performed and did not have to pay a dime in tuition. I also received a stipend that, if I was very frugal, was enough to pay my bills and feed myself. During this time I lived with four roommates and road my bike as much as I could to save money.<p>Another item of note is that in Montana, where I got my degree, engineers registered with the State are bared from joining unions of any kind. Even as a grad student, I was registered as an EI, therefore I would not be eligible to join the grad student union.