I was in a grad student union at University of Michigan and it was awesome. Compared to my colleagues at other institutions I got better pay (especially taking

I was in a grad student union at University of Michigan and it was awesome. Compared to my colleagues at other institutions I got better pay (especially taking cost of living into account) and insanely good healthcare. When our stipend contracts were up for re-negotiation I never had to worry someone didn't have my back, which is great cause as a grad student I was far too busy to worry about that myself.