npr:

Graduate students at private universities are asking regulators to consider these questions: Are we employees, or not? Can we join a union?

The National Labor Relations Board recently decided to review its previous position, reigniting debate within the ivory tower.

For Paul Katz, who’s three years into a history Ph.D. program at Columbia University, the 15 to 20 hours a week he spends teaching university undergraduates should mean he’s an employee. He teaches in addition to conducting his own research.

“I grade all of their papers, their exams, I run review sessions, I meet with them one-on-one, basically support them throughout the semester,” Katz says. “The university should treat me as an employee because I do work for them.”

Are Grad Students Employees? Labor Board To Again Weigh In

Photo credit: Tiffany Yee-Vo/Graduate Workers of Columbia-UAW