Important Update on SWC Negotiations

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

We were encouraged when the Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) agreed to meet twice this fall, in person at a neutral, off-campus location, to discuss the terms of a successor contract—the first such meetings since March. However, no meaningful progress has been made toward a new agreement. What is more, over the last week, the conditions of bargaining have worsened.

These negotiations have been very difficult from the start, with a long road still ahead. A devoted group of faculty and administrators have stepped up to meet the task on behalf of the University, and graduate students, too, have spent time and effort in trying to build consensus among the diverse membership of the union and the student employees it represents. In situations like this, focus and mutual respect are essential to speaking across differences effectively and working together to find solutions.

We recognize that negotiations can be tense, that many participants have strong feelings, and that recent bargaining has been contentious. Bargaining is a challenging process; there will be moments of tension and consensus, fatigue and intensity. We understand that some SWC members may be disappointed that the University cannot agree to every demand, or to include all issues they hope for in a successor contract. But that disappointment does not justify the threatening and personal attacks to which the union has resorted. Abusive attempts to disparage, mock, and intimidate colleagues, both faculty and administrators, are not acceptable. We expect all participants in these negotiations—including student employees entrusted with important teaching and research roles and the University’s own bargaining team members—to engage respectfully and constructively. The union’s communications since the last bargaining session have crossed that line.

In the last week, SWC has continued an ongoing pattern of false statements, delivered via emails and social media posts, including personal targeting of specific members of the University’s bargaining team. These behaviors, and the union’s broken agreements during negotiations, have fallen far below the standard we all should expect from members of the Columbia community. The hostile conditions they have created bear no resemblance to the serious, vigorous bargaining process that has led to six successfully concluded agreements between the University and Columbia’s other unions over the last year, and they are incompatible with good-faith bargaining.

Given these circumstances, the University has made the decision to file another Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board. You can read the full charge here. This was not a decision we made lightly or without mixed feelings, given our hopes for productive in-person bargaining.

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.

We will continue to keep you informed as we work toward a resolution that best serves our student employees and the University. Additional updates and information will remain available under the Current Negotiations tab of the Student Benefits website. Thank you for your attention and support for our community as we navigate this process together.

Sincerely,

Amy Hungerford
Dean and Executive Vice President, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Cas Holloway
Special Advisor to Acting President Claire Shipman