Union seeks amnesty for disciplined protesters
A labor union representing over 3,000 student workers at Columbia University voted Tuesday to approve a potential strike after months of negotiating with the school for higher wages and protections for non-citizens.
Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers announced in an Instagram post that 91.5 percent of members voted in favor of the strike.
“1,234 members voted with 1,129 yeses and 105 noes. We easily surpassed the 66.7% minimum required for strike authorization,” the post reads.
It also states the Strike Authorization Vote “is a clear statement of intent to go on strike if Columbia University does not meet our demands: A living wage and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA); Stronger workplace protections for non-citizens; Expanded healthcare benefits and health fund; Improved protections against discrimination and harassment; Protection against discipline and discharge without just cause; Job security and union rights.”
The post announced that the next bargaining session will take place Friday, March 20.
The group is also seeking amnesty to students disciplined for occupying a building during pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. Union president Grant Miner was expelled and banned from campus for his role in the takeover, according to Jewish News Syndicate.
Further, the union is asking the school to limit campus police use of force and remove university security cameras.
“It is disappointing to see SWC already moving toward a strike after only a limited number of bargaining sessions over the past year,” a university spokesperson told the Columbia Spectator.
“Both sides have agreed to future bargaining sessions, and we are hopeful that SWC will refocus its efforts on making progress at the bargaining table,” the spokesperson said.
The vote gives union leaders the authority to hold a future strike vote if negotiations remain stalled. Such votes are often used to increase pressure in bargaining and show the union is willing to strike if necessary, according to the Spectator.
Columbia student and union spokesperson Hagen Feeney told the school newspaper that the only way to ensure “stable living conditions” and workers’ safety is through “disruption.”
“To anyone who is afraid of that, it’s really for the benefit of every single student on this campus,” Feeney said.
The union previously went on strike in 2021 for 10 weeks while negotiating its first contract with Columbia. The strike disrupted Core Curriculum classes across campus. Since then, the university has removed several graduate student workers from teaching roles in those courses, according to the Spectator.
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