Union Rights, Dues, and Leave

Our articles:

  • Union Dues and Security (Formerly Union Dues, Article 18)

  • Union Rights (Formerly Union Activity/Access, Article 19)

What we’re trying to fix:

Columbia management is infamous for their union-busting tactics, regularly violating our rights under labor law and finding new ways to undermine our union. We’re fighting to change that in our next contract by instituting measures that strengthen the union for the future.

Currently, the university doesn’t inform many student workers, particularly those who are paid hourly, that they are in our bargaining unit and protected by our contract. Organizers spend a considerable effort attempting to reach workers who are kept in the dark to sign union cards. This is why we need a better Union Security article.

Management also denies access to workspaces to union organizers and staff, blocks us from booking space for meetings, cuts us out of orientations and job trainings for non-PhD student workers, and attempts as much as they are able to limit the union’s visibility and reach on campus. This is why we need a better Union Activity article.

CU’s continuous violations of our contract and mistreatment of workers overburdens student workers working to enforce our contract and organize their coworkers. This leaves many workers, particularly those in labor-intensive roles necessary for the union to function, behind in their degree progression. This is why we are introducing a Union Leave and Teaching Release article.

What we want to win:

  • Union Security

    • Expand access to union membership to student workers in our bargaining unit through a union or agency shop, which will ensure that all workers are protected equally by the contract, receive union communications, and pay dues (or equivalent) to aid the union’s efforts. (For more on definitions of union/agency shops, see the FAQ below).

  • Union Activity

    • Ensure unimpeded access to campus for organizers (including staff)

    • Ensure unimpeded access to campus room booking system

    • Guarantee a minimum of 1 hour for union orientations for new student workers

    • Designate bulletin boards in all major workspaces reserved for union materials

    • Allocate an office room for SWC meetings on main campus with at least 15-person seating capacity

    • Disclose more information about the student workers in our unit (e.g. who their PI is, what specific lab are they in, etc.)

  • Union Leave

    • Allow the union up to 5 total workers to be released from research or instructional work in order to do labor-intensive union roles, with the option for those workers to choose either an official leave of absence or paid teaching or research release.

FAQ’s

  • What is the security agreement in our current contract?

    • Our previous contract has no provisions for union security, i.e. SWC is “open shop, so workers in our bargaining unit can work without joining the union or being informed of their eligibility at all. This means that there are many workers (particularly non-PhD and hourly workers) who are not aware that they are in our unit and that they can sign a card. CU actively keeps them in the dark about their union eligibility.

  • What is a “union shop?” What is an “agency shop” or “agency fee?”

    • The Union Rights Working Group has drafted an “agency shop” and a “union shop” version of this article. At the Dec. 4, 2025 GBM, members voted to present the “union shop” version first and to keep the “agency shop” version as an alternative proposal, if necessary.

    • Agency Shop: After 30 days from the start of their employment, every worker in our unit becomes a member of the union unless they choose to opt out of union membership. In lieu of membership, the worker has to pay an “agency fee” which is equivalent to what members pay in dues.

    • Union Shop: After 30 days from the start of their employment, every worker in our unit becomes a member of the union, i.e. everyone in the bargaining unit must become a union member.

  • Is a union security agreement “unfair?”

    • SWC is the only union on-campus that does not have a union security agreement. All other unions, from custodial staff, to administrators, to post-doctoral researchers, have such a clause. Nevertheless, SWC has always allowed non-members access to benefits of union membership. For example, many non-members benefit from our health fund, which provides hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare reimbursements to student workers and is run by volunteer labor. Mandatory membership, or at least a fair-share agency fee, would ensure that everyone contributes to health of the union.

  • What is a bargaining unit?

    • This term refers to the entire set of workers eligible for membership in the union and protected by our contract. For our union, this means any student who performs research or instructional labor for CU, regardless of how many hours they work, how they are paid, what their title is, etc.