Welcome! At this site you will find information and updates pertaining to Columbia University’s current contract negotiations with the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC).
The University is committed to fostering a learning, living, and working environment of mutual respect, support, and care for all members of our community. The 2025 contract negotiations with SWC will focus on achieving a timely, fair, competitive, and responsible labor contract that builds upon the first agreement overwhelmingly ratified by SWC membership in January 2022 and which, importantly, aligns with the University’s commitment to academic excellence. The University looks forward to productive negotiations and moving toward an agreement that supports both the needs of our student employees and the entire Columbia community.
Bargaining Updates
June 09, 2025
The SWC again did not attend scheduled negotiations.
May 09, 2025
The SWC did not attend scheduled negotiations and still has not provided any contract proposals or responded to the University’s proposals.
April 25, 2025
The SWC did not attend scheduled negotiations; the University provided a complete set of non-economic proposals.
Updates for Faculty
Columbia’s Offer to SWC Union
Today, following a fourth consecutive scheduled bargaining session that the union failed to attend, we have taken the significant step of proactively making the union an offer on compensation.
An Update on SWC Negotiations
As we approach the expiration of the University’s current contract with our graduate and other student employees, we are writing to recap the bargaining process to date and preview the developments we hope for in the coming days.
Update on Negotiations for a Successor Contract with SWC
The University has been attempting to initiate negotiations since February; thus far, we have had only one bargaining session with the SWC, on March 28.
Relevant Bargaining Documents
University Proposals:
Scheduled Session 6
June 9, 2025
University Proposals:
Scheduled Session 5
May 9, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Any student employee who is included in the bargaining unit defined by the National Labor Relations Board is eligible—but not required—to join the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers union (SWC).
The bargaining unit includes:
- All students on teaching appointments, whether PhD, Master’s, or undergraduates
- All Departmental Research Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants
- Certain student employees employed on a casual basis
Under the current contract, student employees in the bargaining unit may choose to join the union or not to join. Students may pursue work and study at Columbia regardless of whether they choose to become union members.
The current contract between Columbia and the SWC is set to expire on June 30, 2025. Representatives from the University are entering good-faith negotiations with the union in an effort to achieve a timely, fair, competitive, and responsible agreement, grounded in our academic and research mission, that supports the needs of our student employees and the entire Columbia community.