Graduate Workers of Columbia: Union Efforts Held Back by Columbia University, May 2017

AFA Editorial: An Ivy League school, Columbia University is still promoting inequality by keeping its teaching and research assistants unprotected by union representation. Whether or not teacher unions are a help or hindrance to those they are designed for is not the question or issue here. The issue is that the teaching and research assistants have a right to determine their working conditions. Columbia University, whose picture is used as background for this website, needs to step up and treat all people fairly, and follow the law.
Editorial by AFA Staff

Here's a way to help, as written in a letter by Jared Odessky, an organizer of the Graduate Workers of Columbia.

"Hi all,

My name is Jared, Columbia College class of 2015, and I am an organizer with the Graduate Workers of Columbia, the union for teaching and research assistants at Columbia University.

Several months ago, you signed a petition urging Columbia University to drop its objections to our union election back in December after an overwhelming majority of graduate workers voted for union representation (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/nyregion/columbia-graduate-students-union-vote.html ). It has been 5 months since we voted for our union, and Columbia still refuses to recognize us as workers and meet us at the bargaining table.

In preparation for alumni reunion month in June, we are reaching out to our alumni petition signatories to see if we can list your name as supporters of our cause, so that Columbia sees we have support from a wide array of class years. We also have a new alumni-specific petition at www.columbiagradunion.org/alumni telling the University that we will not donate until they recognize the democratic will of its TAs and RAs that we'd ask you to promote among colleagues from your class year.

If you'd like to be listed as a supporter from your class, please reply directly to me with your first and last name, school, and class year. Please feel free to forward this email to other supportive alums. Thanks for your continued support!

Best,
Jared

--
Jared Odessky"
Organizer, GWC-UAW