The Living Stipend Movement began in March 2017 when graduate students in the English department drafted a petition to address student working conditions amid departmental recruitment efforts. The petition gained signatures from about half of enrolled students and became centered on demanding a living stipend for graduate student workers. This resulted in a department meeting that filled Clemens 306 over its capacity, where graduate students and alumni spoke about inadequate pay and support for international students, MA students, and caregivers. The movement quickly expanded, reaching the College of Arts and Sciences Office of the Dean, UB College Administration, and the Faculty Senate.

By the end of the Spring 2017 semester, graduate students had seen a variety of gains, including increased supplements and travel funding, the establishment of an English Department Ombuds-Committee, and pay for full-time PhD students. UB Living Stipend took on a more formal structure that following summer as it began holding monthly meetings, established social media strategies, planned public events, drafted informational materials, and expanded its reach to students in other departments.

As the movement gained traction, student newspaper The Spectrum and other local media began to cover its activities. In a notable demonstration, about 65 members of the Living Stipend Movement marched to the administrative offices of President Satish K. Tripathi in Capen Hall on December 4, 2017. Met with locked doors and armed police officers, the demonstrators occupied the area outside the offices for over an hour, sharing stories and speaking with news outlets. UB Living Stipend continued to organize events, including a September 2020 demonstration for increased campus safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Living Stipend Movement has since gained support from the UB Professional Staff Senate, the United University Professions SUNY Statewide Chapter, the UB Graduate Student Association, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and Budget Priorities Committee, and the UB Council of Advocacy and Leadership.

UB Living Stipend merged with the Graduate Student Employees Union in June 2021.