A majority of participating Duke Ph.D. students voted to be represented by the Southern Region Workers United, the National Labor Relations Board announced Tuesday.
In a ballot count at the regional office of the National Labor Relations Board in Winston-Salem Tuesday, a majority of the ballots were cast for union representation. Of the 1,145 ballots cast, 1,000 voted for representation by the SEIU and 131 voted against.
The remaining 14 ballots, too few to influence the outcome, were not opened nor included in the final count because of questions about the eligibility of the voters who cast them.
The outcome of the election affects all 2,127 eligible Ph.D. students who hold teaching or research appointments at Duke, not just those who voted in the election. The result will create the largest union on campus.
“Duke has always cared deeply about our graduate students,” Provost Alec Gallimore said. “We look forward to working with representatives from Southern Region Workers United on the shared goal of making the graduate experience at Duke the very best it can be.”
