Nearly 17 months into negotiations, SWC has not prioritized meaningful progress on basic employment issues or shown the requisite urgency to accomplish what we need to achieve together. As a sign of our commitment to our PhD students and other Student Officers, Columbia will again implement 3% increases to their support and compensation, matching the 3% increases from October 2025.
The University has again implemented 3% increases to minimum PhD student support and compensation for all teaching or research Student Officer appointments, effective September 1, 2026, which match the 3% increases the University implemented in October 2025. This reflects Columbia’s dedication to supporting our students as negotiations with SWC continue.
As we approach the one-year mark in negotiations with the Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) for a successor contract, it is time to step back and reflect on where we stand.
The Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) has announced that it has received authorization from its members to call a strike after holding a strike authorization vote. To be clear, no strike has been called at this time. We are disappointed that SWC has already chosen to hold a strike authorization vote and are hopeful that SWC will refocus its efforts on making progress at the bargaining table.
By repudiating the Framework Agreement and its essential boundaries between employment matters, which are subject to bargaining, and academic and operational matters that are not, SWC is contesting our faculty's control over academic decisions and the University's responsibility for its operations.
To ensure access to resources while bargaining continues, Columbia will continue to provide Support Funds to reimburse eligible out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision expenses incurred by eligible student employees and their dependents for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The University has made the decision to file another Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board. Our goal remains to reach a fair, competitive, and sustainable agreement that benefits our student employees and the entire Columbia community, and we are hopeful that we and SWC can work together in good faith to achieve that.
On Friday, November 7, the University’s bargaining committee and the Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) met in person for the first time since the initial bargaining session in March.
As you are aware, the University and the SWC have made little progress in negotiating a successor contract since our first and only bargaining session in March. Still, the University remains fully committed to supporting our graduate student community and student employees.
After months of signals that SWC will not engage to bargain in good faith over terms and conditions of employment, the University is taking the difficult step of filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
On July 10, the University offered to extend the now-lapsed contract for one year, with an immediate increase in compensation, while negotiations continue for a longer-term successor contract.
Although the SWC contract has now expired, the University will continue to make every effort to reach a successor agreement with the union.