Graduate student workers at the University of Maine are set to rally Wednesday on the Orono campus to draw attention to their efforts to negotiate a union contract with administration officials.

The teaching assistants voted to unionize nearly a year ago, joining forces with the United Auto Workers.

They are concerned about “low and inconsistent pay, substandard health benefits, protections for international student workers and the need for a voice at work,” according to a press release from the group.

The workers say they don’t think the university is negotiating in good faith.

“I’ve been frustrated to see how slow the administration has been in responding to our elected bargaining team’s proposals,” said Allison Molinari, a teaching assistant in the physics department. “Not only has the UMS team not been offering acceptable proposals of their own, they don’t even come to bargaining sessions prepared for effective negotiations.”

In response, university spokeswoman Samantha Warren said the university values the contributions of the workers and recognized their union last fall without requiring them to take extra steps.

In an email, Warren said initial contract talks typically take more than 400 days, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

“Ultimately, as a public university system, our ability to improve work opportunities and conditions without shifting costs to Maine students and their families in the form of unreasonable tuition increases is largely dependent on our state funding, which has historically been increased at a rate well below that of inflation,” she said.

Warren said the university hopes to reach an agreement with the graduate student workers “within the existing resources of our public institutions.”

At the same time, the university is in ongoing negotiations with three of its six other bargaining units.

The rally is set for 11:30 a.m. at MLK Plaza on campus.