Bargaining FAQs

The contract the University and SWC agreed to in January 2022 expired on June 30, 2025, and an agreement has not yet been reached on a successor contract. The University will continue to make every effort to reach a successor agreement with SWC. 

The 2022 contract is available here, and summaries of the compensation and benefits currently available to student employees, both under that contract and by virtue of their status as students, are available here.  

A student on a teaching or research appointment (a student officer) is included in the bargaining unit defined by the National Labor Relations Board and is eligible—but not required—to join the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers union (SWC). 

Students may pursue work and study at Columbia regardless of whether they choose to become union members. However, the union is the exclusive representative of student employees who are in the bargaining unit, whether or not they are members of the union. 

Only bargaining unit members who join the union and agree to pay union dues are allowed to vote on union matters, including whether to ratify a contract. Student employees who choose to join SWC must pay 1.44% of total gross compensation as dues plus a one-time initiation fee and may authorize that these charges be deducted from their paychecks. 

Yes. Because the union speaks and acts for everyone in the bargaining unit, whether or not they are members of the union, the provisions in labor contracts negotiated by SWC apply to all student employees who are in the certified bargaining unit. 
 
Only bargaining unit members who join the union and agree to pay union dues are allowed to vote on union matters, including whether to ratify a contract. Student employees who choose to join SWC must pay 1.44% of total gross compensation as dues plus a one-time initiation fee and may authorize that these charges be deducted from their paychecks. 

Yes, there are several other labor unions at Columbia representing approximately 6,000 unionized employees across our campus. These other unions include UAW Local 2110, SEIU Local 1199, and TWU Local 241, and the University successfully reached seven contracts with these other unions in 2025. 

SWC opened a strike authorization vote on February 20, 2026, and, according to the union, voting will continue through March 8. Importantly, no strike has been called at this time, and the vote’s outcome does not guarantee whether or when a strike will be called in the future. 

The University respects SWC’s right to call this vote, but we are disappointed that it has chosen to do so after just six bargaining sessions, and, according to the union itself, before putting forward all of the proposals it has said it wants to discuss with the University. Many of the demands SWC says it may strike over are not related to employment, and thus are not subject to bargaining. These topics affect student employees in their roles as students, not employees, and often affect the entire University community – and are proposals that ignore the boundaries set by the Framework Agreement between bargainable employment matters and academic and operational matters that must remain under the University and faculty’s control.  

Unfortunately, the union’s actions and statements have indicated a preference for striking over bargaining since the start of these negotiations, suggesting that this step has always been part of SWC leadership’s plans, before any substantial bargaining even started.  

We are hopeful that SWC will soon refocus on making progress at the bargaining table. The University is committed to good-faith negotiations and remains willing and eager to work constructively with SWC toward a fair, competitive, and sustainable successor contract that serves all student employees and the whole Columbia community.  

No. Student employees, whether or not dues-paying members of the union, can each decide for themselves whether to participate in a strike or to continue working. Federal law protects a unionized employee who chooses to work during a strike. 

No. While we value our student employees and respect their right to engage in protected union activity, including a lawful strike, student employees who choose to strike and do not perform their work will not be paid. Strikers should not expect to receive back pay from the University for appointed work not performed as part of the strike. Strikers cannot use vacation, sick leave, or personal leave during a strike unless it was previously approved by the department/school prior to the strike authorization vote. 

No. Student employees who engage in a strike are expected to fulfill their academic requirements and continue to make academic progress. Faculty should expect to see students continue in their student roles. When student employees attend classes, they may not engage in any strike-related activity that interferes with University academic or administrative operations. 

Should the union choose to strike, the University has measures in place to ensure the continuity of teaching, learning, and research to the greatest extent possible.

No. Faculty who are considered managers and/or supervisors of student employees do not have the right to strike under the National Labor Relations Act. A strike by SWC does not change a faculty member’s obligation to perform their faculty duties, including conducting class and office hours and submitting grades. 

Generally, strike activities may occur on any public sidewalk or space. Strike activities may not take place in locations that violate University policies or otherwise disrupt classes or research. 

Picketing or any other strike activity cannot unduly interfere with the normal flow of persons or vehicular traffic into and from buildings, including other employees reporting to work, visits by the public, students attending classes, or deliveries. Threats and violence are unlawful. The National Labor Relations Act does not protect picketing or other conduct that is not peaceful – for example, physically blocking entrances and exits, violent behavior or threats of violence, destruction of property, serious disruption of operations, or other serious misconduct. Employees engaging in such conduct are not protected from discipline or discharge, even if the actions occurred during protected activities. Such activity is also subject to the Rules of University Conduct.  

The contract between the University and SWC expired on June 30, 2025, and bargaining is required in order to achieve a successor contract. 

The University is committed to good-faith negotiations and is willing and eager to work with SWC to reach an agreement on a fair and competitive successor contract that serves all student employees and the whole Columbia community.   

The University is committed to supporting our student employees by offering a strong, competitive compensation and benefits package. We will build on the foundation of the first agreement reached with SWC in January 2022, which was overwhelmingly ratified by SWC membership and which comprehensively addressed compensation, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment. The University is committed to good-faith negotiations and is willing and eager to work with SWC to reach an agreement on a fair and competitive successor contract that serves all student employees and the whole Columbia community. 

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) requires employers and unions to bargain collectively in good faith over “wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment,” which are called mandatory subjects of bargaining. While the NLRA does not require that any particular right or provision be part of a contract, collective bargaining agreements typically have provisions on pay and benefits, vacation and leave, and grievance procedures, among other related topics.   

The University retains exclusive control over academic decision-making, including matters related to academics and academic standing, and the management of the institution consistent with its educational and research mission. These boundaries between what is and is not subject to negotiation were set out in the 2018 Framework Agreement between Columbia and the union, which was the precondition for recognizing SWC and negotiating its first contract. 

Before the contract expired, the University put forward a comprehensive package of proposals that addressed wages, benefits, and other employment-related issues central to a successor contract. These proposals were designed to support the more than 3,000 student employees represented by SWC, as a reflection of their significant contributions to our vibrant academic community and to enable their success while attracting top talent to Columbia in the years to come. Details on the University’s first compensation and benefits proposals can be found here. 

Additionally, Columbia implemented 3% increases to student compensation and stipends, applied pro rata effective October 16, 2025, as well as an increase to the minimum hourly rate for student employees who perform instructional or research work, starting October 20, 2025. Further information about these increases can be found here. The University also renewed and extended the healthcare support funds negotiated in the now-lapsed contract for the 2025-2026 academic year by providing $425,000 to be used for reimbursements of eligible out-of-pocket healthcare expenses incurred by eligible student employees (a $25,000 increase over what was available during the last academic year) and $225,000 to be used for eligible out-of-pocket healthcare expenses incurred by dependents of eligible student employees. Further information can be found here. 

Over the course of bargaining sessions since November 2025, the University has also shared revised articles on various subjects in response to counterproposals by the union. 

Collective bargaining typically is conducted through members of the bargaining committees from the union and the University who serve as representatives and meet to discuss issues, develop ideas, and exchange contract proposals. This format allows the parties to maintain constructive focus on the matters under discussion, promotes the development of trusting relationships between the parties’ representatives, and encourages the candid and robust discussion most likely to produce an agreement in a timely and efficient manner. 

Nevertheless, at SWC’s request, the University has agreed that a reasonable number of observers may be present at bargaining sessions. 

The University has taken the difficult step of filing Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges with the National Labor Relations Board in response to SWC’s conduct in negotiations. The University did not make these decisions lightly, and its goal has always been to negotiate a fair, competitive, and sustainable agreement with SWC that will benefit student employees and the entire Columbia community. 

On August 8, 2025, the University filed a ULP because, despite the University’s many concrete actions and offers aimed at bringing SWC to the bargaining table, the union’s demonstrated unwillingness to engage in bargaining over the terms and conditions of employment for the student employees it represents led the University to conclude that SWC would not bargain in good faith. More information about this ULP is available here, and you can read the full charge here. 

On December 1, 2025, the University filed a ULP in response to SWC’s pattern of behavior that created hostile and unacceptable conditions for bargaining, including false statements and threatening and personal attacks targeting specific members of the University’s bargaining team, delivered via emails and social media posts, and broken agreements during negotiations. More information about this ULP is available here, and you can read the full charge here. 

It is difficult to say how long it will take to reach a successor agreement. Since negotiations began, the University has been committed to good faith bargaining and eager to work with SWC to reach an agreement on a fair and competitive successor contract that aligns with the University’s commitment to academic excellence and supports the needs of our student employees and the entire Columbia community. 

While we were encouraged that SWC agreed to reengage with in-person meetings in November 2025 – the first such meetings since March – no meaningful progress has yet been made toward a new agreement.  

A ratification vote by the union is generally required to approve a collective bargaining agreement. This typically happens shortly after a tentative agreement is reached between the union’s and employer’s bargaining representatives. 

No, the collective bargaining between the University and SWC has no bearing on the collective bargaining agreements that are in place with the other unions on campus. 

This website will be updated throughout the collective bargaining process between the University and SWC.