The National Labor Relations Board issued a recent ruling that gives graduate students at Duke University the right to unionize as employees of the university. In the past year, Duke graduate students have made efforts to form a federally recognized union, but have faced opposition from the University. The Duke administration chose to not voluntarily recognize the union, stating that graduate students are not admitted to work and do a job, but to further their education. Election ballots for graduate students to vote in favor or against unionizing will be sent out in late July. If the vote is successful, Duke will join a list of universities, such as Harvard, the University of Southern California, and others that have successfully formed federally recognized unions.
See "National Labor Relations Board ruling grants Duke graduate students the right to unionize", Brian Gordon, Korie Dean, The News and the Observer, July 12, 2023