Or, you know, unionize like regular workers. (Former UAW-represented PhD student, here.) I then spent some time in the Swiss system as a postdoc... night and d

Or, you know, unionize like regular workers. (Former UAW-represented PhD student, here.) I then spent some time in the Swiss system as a postdoc... night and day! I went from the "American Riviera" (UCSB) to the "Swiss Riviera" (EPFL), and so living costs were about the same. But PhD students were paid more than twice what I was paid in the US. Also much less teaching at EPFL, but that was probably due to differences in the "type" of institution. (And what is a riviera?!)