The academic route is basically a form of modern-day indentured servitude, which is another way in which wages for American students who decided upon pursuing a

The academic route is basically a form of modern-day indentured servitude, which is another way in which wages for American students who decided upon pursuing a PhD for "the life of the mind" rather than economic reasons are depressed (e.g., Indians are willing to work for much less because it's their only way in, and the money is much better than developing countries). I have little faith that efforts at unionization among grad students and adjuncts will gain any traction until this is addressed. tl;dr: Immigration reform would be a godsend for restoring some sense of sanity to the system.