Bargaining Session 2

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. 

The University’s team came to the meeting with hopes of a productive bargaining session and prepared to focus on the core terms and conditions of employment that are the foundation of a labor contract and affect all the student employees SWC represents. We are encouraged that SWC came to the table and engaged for a full session. The union chose to continue its focus on subjects outside the scope of collective bargaining. This prevented the parties from making meaningful progress in the session itself.

The parties met at Interchurch Center, a mutually agreed, neutral, off-campus location, to discuss the terms of a successor contract. SWC’s bargaining committee arrived accompanied by approximately 115 observers. Early in the session, it was discovered that an SWC computer remained connected to Zoom during the proceedings, contrary to the parties’ explicit agreement. The union acknowledged this breach and committed in writing and on the record not to video or audio broadcast or record any future negotiations. 

When the session resumed, the union’s bargaining committee continued to present the contract articles that SWC delivered to the University on October 6. The majority of the changes SWC seeks to introduce into the contract through these are inconsistent with the Framework Agreement that laid the foundation for collective bargaining with the University’s graduate research and teaching assistants. For example, the union’s proposals on campus safety, campus access, and cooperation with law enforcement would infringe on Columbia’s right and responsibility to manage the institution consistent with its educational and research mission, within the legal frameworks set by federal and local governments.   

SWC requested that the University respond to each element of the union’s proposals despite their falling outside of a collective bargaining agreement. The University understands and respects that some SWC members voted to advance these issues in bargaining. Many of the issues raised are significant for the entire Columbia community, and are the subjects of other efforts by faculty, students, staff, and University leaders. But they are not the subjects of collective bargaining. The University’s bargaining committee is not in a position to address them in a labor contract for only a portion of our University community. The University expressed this in the meeting and said it would provide a written response.

The University is eager to engage the union on wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment covered by the contract. In this regard, one subject SWC advanced on which the University could negotiate is grievance and arbitration, which was the topic of a University contract proposal delivered to the union in April.

SWC’s bargaining team also turned to the subject of support funds for unreimbursed medical and dental expenses that were negotiated for each year of the now-lapsed contract. SWC demanded a “yes” or “no” answer from the University about whether these would be available this spring, regardless of whether the parties reached an agreement. 

The support funds are an important subject upon which the University has been eager to engage. The University advanced a proposal to renew and increase these funds last May, but the union has not responded to that proposal to date. At the session, the union refused to consider the University team’s offer to pursue providing the support funds outside of the contract as a student benefit.

The bargaining session lasted approximately four hours and concluded with a discussion of dates to meet again. The University offered November 24 at Interchurch, appreciates that SWC now has confirmed that date after the session, and looks forward to continuing negotiations soon. 

The University’s goal remains reaching a fair, competitive, and sustainable agreement with SWC that benefits student employees and the broader Columbia community. Following this session, we hope SWC will continue meeting in person with the University and come ready to discuss constructively the employment-related topics that are central to a labor contract and the wellbeing of everyone the union represents.