Nov. 14—About 60 University of New Mexico United Graduate Workers stood outside Scholes Hall on Tuesday afternoon asking for better pay.
Some workers held posters with messages stating "Workers over profits" and "Gee, I wish I could afford rent," while others spoke about their concerns.
"What do we want?" Alicia Esquivel, sociology Ph.D. student, asked the crowd.
"A living wage," they responded.
"When do we want it?
"Now!"
Esquivel was among the dozens of United Graduate Workers who rallied in front of the administration building to draw support for their contract negotiations with the university.
UGW, which began negotiating over wages on Nov. 2, wants wages raised to levels commensurate with other New Mexico educators to counter the rising cost of living in Albuquerque.
UGW represents all graduate workers who hold assistantship contracts with UNM, including teaching assistants, research assistants, project assistants and general graduate students who supplement clerical and support staff.
Second-year English doctoral student Navid Etedali, who teaches two courses, said he makes $1,565 a month under a nine-month contract while trying to raise a family of three.
He said the low income makes it hard for him to help support his wife's health care, adding, "I can't take her to the doctor, honestly."
Because he only works nine months out of the year, he has to save so he can have some money during the summers, but "I can't," he said.
Etedali said he recently took out $550 from his savings account to cover expenses.
"If I continue to take out from the savings, in less than a year, I will be out of money," he said.
The wage negotiations comes after the graduate workers union won recognition and signed its first collective bargaining agreement with the university in December 2022.
According to a United Graduate Workers news release, that initial contract increased minimum salaries and provided an across-the-board raise for graduate workers. However, since it was the first significant increase to wages in a decade, combined with record inflation, graduate workers still continue to struggle to afford basic expenses like food and rent, the union said.
The next round of negotiations between the UGW and administration is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"They better not shortchange us, they better not low-ball us because we know our worth," said Wilbur Dominguez, UNM first-year physics and astronomy Ph.D. student, "and we are definitely worth more than we are getting paid right now."