Exciting news! Today, the National Labor Relations Board overturned a 2004 decision that denied the right to collectively bargain to student workers at private colleges and universities, and instead ruled that Academic Student Employees at private institutions are workers with the right to form unions. This case was filed by graduate student workers at Columbia and New School in New York whose Universities had refused to recognize their unions. This is the second time this year the NLRB has handed down a decision favorable to workers organizing in higher education.
Like many other organizing drives around the country that have helped student workers win unions, this campaign opens the door for even more workers to organize: particularly those in private universities who previously faced huge legal obstacles.
Columbia University’s student workers now face a critical election to establish their union. You can help encourage them by sending us a selfie holding a piece of paper with your name and department, as well as any message you’d like to pass on about how our union has made things better (want a cheat sheet: look here). We’ll send them on to our colleagues in New York.
This is an exciting win that will make us even stronger! We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
In solidarity,
Theresa Aliwarga
Douglas Avella-Castro
Andrea Canini
Anthony Castanza
Ying-Yu Chen
Monica Cortes Viharo
Toni Ferro
Kristen Garofali
Arshiya Hoseyni Chime
Katya Kolesova
Dylan Mayer
Elizabeth Mills
Chelsea Pagan
David Parsons
Michelle Pham
Shua Sanchez
Viral Shah
Sam Sumpter
Arash Tarkhan