11/24/2025 CU refuses to substantively engage, tells SWC rep to “shut up”
On Monday, Nov. 24, we met the University Bargaining Team to
Negotiate an extension of the Health Fund;
Address their lack of response to our Non-Citizen Workers’ Rights Article from the previous session;
Present our Healthcare Benefits and Parents’ Rights Articles.
Our members delivered testimonies on the need for better health care. The University had little substantive response to our articles, told us that we could not be on the employee health plan because we are “students first,” and at one point told a member of BC to “shut up.”
Summary of Columbia’s Positions
Refused to continue allocating money for the health fund until we finalize a new contract.
Did not respond to the Non-Citizens Protection Article, even when pressed on it.
Insisted that sanctuary campus and “use of force on students” are not workers’ issues.
Asserted that international student workers are already safe on campus.
Continued to downplay our rights as workers and framed our contract demands as student benefits.
Acknowledged the challenges of being a parent, but failed to engage substantively with our proposed benefits article.
Extension of the Health Fund
CU admitted that they wrongly claimed that SWC did not respond to their contract extension offer, which included a health fund. We pointed out that we countered their proposal on July 22nd, to which they failed to respond.
We gave management a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that stipulates an extension of the health fund from June 2025 until the ratification of our future contract. They declined to comment.
We requested to have a response to the MOA by the next bargaining session.
CU Bargaining Team’s Behavior
Although we do not expect perfection from anyone in this process, the behavior of CU’s bargaining team was exceptionally disappointing today and we feel that it is important to communicate the extent of this.
When asked for their reasoning for their proposal on benefits, a member of CU’s bargaining team interrupted our BC to say that the university did not have “the least bit obligation to tell us their logic” for their benefits proposal. He then raised his voice at our BC and workers, saying that our benefits proposal is “baloney” and told one of our BC members, “Why don’t you shut up?” We said that this was inappropriate conduct and then required him to apologize at the end of the session for his outburst.
When reminded that workers in our unit were abducted by ICE or disenrolled (and thereby fired) by CU while fleeing ICE, Linda Eisner (Executive Director of Labor and Employee Relations) rolled her eyes and said “that’s so stupid,” and Dan Driscoll (VP of CU HR) dismissed this as a “student” issue.
Many members of the CU bargaining team were not paying attention during bargaining, including one who appeared to be asleep for a substantial part of the session.
Member Responses to Today’s Bargaining
During the bargaining session, CommComm solicited members’ opinions on how the bargaining session went. Here’s what some people had to say!
“There is no progress being made on the admin’s part. They have demonstrated today that they are encouraged to stonewall us.” – 5th year PhD student worker
“It is disappointing to see them spending most of the session focusing on the semantics of student and employee. That was crazy!” – 1st year PhD student worker
“[On CU’s bargaining team] If I showed up this unprepared to teach, I would expect to lose my job and they are fighting on some things for the sake of fighting us.” – 4th year PhD student worker