Graduate workers at the University of Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia are moving closer to unionizing.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that organizers of a non-university-affiliated student group called the Forum on Graduate Rights voted to affiliate the prospective union with the Missouri National Education Association and the National Education Association.
The workers have been demanding better pay, a long-term insurance solution and full tuition waivers for all graduate assistants. Their union would be called the Coalition of Graduate Workers.
Graduate students Connor Lewis and Eric Scott are leading a committee that has been gauging interest in the potential union since August. Scott and Lewis say they're optimistic they can gather about 2,000 signatures necessary to hold a vote this year and have a contract in place by 2016.