A new federal labor case brought by a Cornell Ph.D. student is challenging the legal foundation that allows graduate student unions at private universities. Russell Burgett contends that he and other students should not be treated as employees under federal law and objects to being bound by a union contract. His complaint targets a 2016 NLRB decision that expanded union powers on campuses and could prompt a reconsideration of that precedent.
See "Cornell University Graduate Student Files Federal Charges Seeking End to Union Boss Control Over Graduate Students", Staffwriter, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, July 14, 2025