Bargaining Update

The University is disappointed that the Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) failed to attend scheduled in-person negotiations on April 25, 2025. Less than half an hour’s notice was given by the union, at which time they offered a Zoom link as the only medium through which they would meet. This follows the union’s cancellation of the last scheduled bargaining session less than two hours before it was scheduled to start on April 14.

The union has designated a 12-member bargaining committee, and the University agreed to meet with that committee and allow up to 20 additional, pre-identified union members to observe the April 25 scheduled session. The union failed to show up for the session and refused to meet in person without streaming/video broadcasting of the session via Zoom, and without the attendance of their president – who is not a member of the designated bargaining committee and has been expelled from the University. These were presented as preconditions of any bargaining. Expelled students are permanently prohibited from accessing campus, university buildings, or other university facilities.

The union cannot refuse to bargain with the University over an issue, in this case conducting negotiations over Zoom, that has nothing to do with matters related to their employment. The University has explained to the union that collective bargaining, including with the University’s other unions, typically is conducted in person, through members of the parties’ bargaining committees, which allows the parties to maintain constructive focus, promotes the development of trusting relationships, and encourages the candid, robust discussions most likely to produce a timely agreement in an efficient manner. In addition, the University does not have an obligation to meet with a former student who has been expelled. A party’s right to select its representatives for collective bargaining is not absolute, and the law does not require the other party to engage with a particular representative where, as here, doing so would make good faith bargaining impossible.

Despite the union’s refusal to bargain in person, the University provided the union via email with the full set of non-economic proposals that it planned to introduce in the session, building on the articles the University sent following the union’s cancellation of the bargaining session scheduled for April 14. The University has received no contract proposals from the union to this point.

Although the University was not able to go forward with the scheduled bargaining session on March 14, Columbia has demonstrated its good faith commitment to meet and bargain with the union’s designated bargaining committee at the session held on March 28, at the scheduled April 14 session that the union canceled, and at the session scheduled for April 25. The University remains committed to achieving a timely, fair, competitive, and responsible agreement with the SWC, grounded in our academic and research mission, that supports the needs of our student employees and the entire Columbia community. We are eager to begin productive negotiations on the workplace matters and terms and conditions of employment that affect all student employees.

The University has agreed to the union’s proposed date of May 9 to meet with the union’s designated committee for in-person bargaining. We also have offered the union several additional dates for negotiations before and after May 9 in the hope that the parties can move discussions for a successor contract forward before the existing agreement expires on June 30, 2025.