By Ella Strobo and Emilio Milo
On Nov. 18, the Nevada Graduate Student Workers (NGSW), organized under the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, hosted an event with Nevada Attorney General and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). At the event, the attorney general discussed many of the issues graduate students face as student workers.
The event began with an introduction from NGSW and UAW member Helen Kirana, who stated the purpose of NGSW and the current unionization ambitions for graduate students. “We decided to form a union so that we can, one, argue collectively as equals with the administration to improve working conditions, second, democratically decide priorities for improvements to our workplace, and three, reach an enforceable collective bargaining agreement that guarantees our rights,” she said.
According to NGSW, graduate assistants (GAs) at UNR have faced various difficulties in the workplace that led to their formation as a union, and have currently faced a struggle in being acknowledged by NSHE.
According to the presentation given by Kirana, “The university responded by ignoring our democratic choice to unionize.”
Aaron Ford spoke to the room of graduates and expressed his support for the efforts NGSW is making towards being recognized as a union. Ford shared his own personal struggles to highlight his stance on the matter, as he himself was a research assistant as a graduate student at Ohio State University and dealt with financial hardships.
Ford emphasized his experiences growing up in a low-income family. “I was raised by a single mom, who ultimately remarried, but who worked multiple jobs. I saw every day how hardworking people deserve dignity, security and a voice on that job, so I have spent my work working and fighting for working families because I lived what it means to struggle and to persevere,” he said.
Ford tied these ideas to his time as a GA, recalling that he “was a research assistant for two different professors, the dean of my law school and a professor in my Ph.D. program. (…) I was married with a kid, and a mortgage, and a car note, and I had five jobs. Five. My wife, who already was a lawyer, had four jobs of her own… and so I know what it’s like not having enough money in order to make it as a GA, because I had two GAs this spring. And so, when you come in here and you talk about what it is you are fighting for, I feel you. I’m not telling you about what I heard, I’m telling you about what I know. And so there’s another reason why this issue is so near and dear to me.”
Following Ford‘s remarks, those in attendance asked him questions about his stance on improving the situation for graduate student workers facing affordability issues and poor working conditions. He was also asked about his plans to help them in his current position as well as if he were to win the election for Nevada governor in 2026.
Ford acknowledged the issues international students are facing, but also told them there are certain limitations governors can do since it’s a federal issue. Despite this, Ford said that in his current role as attorney general, his support for issues like this would remain strong.
“You live in Nevada, you are part of the Nevada family, and I represent you,” said Ford. ”I am your attorney general and I am to defend your rights constitutionally and otherwise, to the risk of all possibilities and hostilities.”
C. McCombs, a UAW member, said they were satisfied with how the questionnaire portion of the event went. “I know that at least some of my questions generally were answered,” said McCombs. “I like that we got a little background on the current AG and, you know, the candidate for governor. And it was nice to get a little bit of [a] biography, as well as be able to ask questions about his specific platforms.”
“It was a great turnout, great conversation around important issues of our graduate assistants,” Ford told the Sagebrush, sharing his thoughts about the event overall. “And I think that I gleaned some important information, things that we can try to address,” he said.
Common issues grad students face in the workplace are highlighted by the results from a survey conducted by GAs at the University in 2024 that served as a check-in on how grad students are doing. The UAW called attention to three specific statistics from this survey at the forum:
- 79% of UNR GAs do not earn a livable wage from their position.
- One in four UNR GAs have seen or experienced witness retaliation for bringing light to poor working conditions.
- 78% of UNR GAs believe more should be done by the university to uphold equity and inclusion in its workplace.
During the Q&A with Ford, Noah, a UNR Ph.D. student in Civil Structure Engineering, opened up about witnessing other GAs, including himself, being forced to go to great lengths to survive on the wage they make. He mentioned having to sell plasma to afford groceries.
Since the Sagebrush’s article last year on NGSW gaining supermajority support from graduate assistants, the unionization effort has faced obstacles in regards to becoming a recognized union by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).
Earlier this year on Jan. 14, a letter from Patty Charlton, Interim Chancellor of NSHE and now commissioner to Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education responded to the movement’s letter by requesting a meeting to recognize the union and begin negotiations. NGSW responded to the letter on their website, which contests the claims made in the letter about NSHE being powerless to recognize the union.
With A.B. 191 failing to pass in the Nevada legislative session this past June, which would have extended the collective bargaining process already used by NSHE to GAs, NGSW continues to face an upward battle in working with NSHE.
A similar forum with Ford took place at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Nov. 4, highlighting the growing focus on the issues pertaining to graduate student workers from those in state government. Graduate students at UNR and UNLV are organized under the same union.
Aaron Ford has been campaigning for the 2026 governor election since July. Ford has garnered endorsements from various Democrats within the state, most notably from Nevada Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, which has placed him as the frontrunner for the Democrat nomination. Competing with Ford for the Democratic nomination is Alexis Hill, the current Chair of the Washoe County Board of Commissioners. The eventual Democratic nominee will face incumbent governor Joe Lombardo in the general election.
Ella Strobo can be reached via email at ellastrobo@gmail.com. Emilio Milo can be reached via email at emiliomilo109@gmail.com.
