Should graduate students who teach at colleges have the right to unionize?

Responding to a petition filed by a group at Columbia University in New York, the National Labor Relations Board ruled this week that grad students working as teaching and research assistants are employees covered by federal labor laws.

Paving the way for graduate students to unionize, the ruling reverses a 2004 decision that involved Rhode Island’s Brown University that had held that grad students are primarily students.

Supporters of the ruling argue that graduate students should be afforded the same rights as any individual employed by colleges or universities.

Others counter that the ability for graduate students to unionize could have unintended consequences, such as higher tuition costs for students.