NLRB Grants Review of our Case!
The National Labor Relations Board formally granted review of our case, which we hope will overturn the Brown decision. This is great news for graduate employees who have committed years of organizing to win back our right to collective bargaining. While this is a huge step forward, we still believe that the New School administration should do the right thing right now, and allow graduate employees to decide for ourselves whether or not to unionize in a fair and democratic election without waiting for the NLRB. Read more on the press coverage page of our website .
A Few Updates and Come to the Work-in Tomorrow and Wednesday!
It’s been a busy couple of weeks at SENS-UAW, full of flyers, film screenings and planning. We had a town hall where the question of the union was again put to the administration. The video is here if you skip ahead to 1hr and 13 minutes in, there’s a beautiful statement about our work from SENS-UAW members Zoe Carey and Eli Nadeau. Support for the union was strong in the Q&A and the rest of the Town Hall.
President Van Zandt sidestepped the issue, promising to consider the question of unionization. This isn’t a surprise, but it is a disappointment. This issue has been on his desk for ten months. Far from being neutral, the administration has been paying lawyers to fight our right to unionize.
So what do we do now?
We show them: we’re not going anywhere until we get our union, with better wages and conditions.
The first step is making our labor visible. They say we’re not workers: let’s show them the work that we do! We’re holding a work-in on the 27th and 28th of October, in the main foyer of the University Center, from from 10am to 8pm. We’ll have snacks, drinks, and signs so that everyone who comes through the front entrance will see the work that we do. If you are a Research Assistant or Grading Assistant, come down and do your work alongside your colleagues. If you’re a Teaching Assistant or a Teaching Fellow, hold your class on the steps! And if you’re a sympathizer, come down to show your support – we need to show the administration that the university community is behind us.
