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Collective PositionPress Secretary
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Coverage
The Student Worker Movement is Growing (Jacobin)
Biden endorses UGSDW, possibly helping expansion efforts (Scarlet & Black)
Letter to the Editor: A message on selective union expansion from 200+ alums (Scarlet & Black)
UGSDW and College agree to new contract (Scarlet & Black)
UGSDW Negotiates New Contract with College, CLS Brainstorms Making On-Campus Jobs More Fulfilling (Scarlet & Black)
“Moving On”: Kington Outlines Next Steps for College and UGSDW (Scarlet & Black)
College Addresses Accusations of Racial Discrimination in the Spencer Grill (Scarlet & Black)
Are Universities Political? (Inside Higher Ed)
Students Speak: The Union Decision (Scarlet & Black)
Update on UGSDW (Scarlet & Black)
In Iowa, a union’s report uncovers discrimination at Grinnell College (Worker’s World)
Education Workers on Campuses Around the Country Are Demanding Better Labor Conditions (Teen Vogue)
Top five 2018: Workers in Iowa continue to fight the good fight (Little Village)
Board OKs request by Grinnell students to drop union effort (Associated Press)
Grinnell Student Workers Boost Union Cause by Changing the Narrative (Nonprofit Quarterly)
UGSDW Withdraws Petition to Expand Union, Case Will Not Reach NLRB (Scarlet & Black)
Grinnell Students Drop Union Expansion Bid (Iowa Public Radio)
Students at Iowa college drop union organizing effort (Associated Press)
Iowa students drop union push amid challenge, fearing rollback of Obama-era wins (CNN)
Grinnell student-worker union calls foul as it ends expansion efforts (Des Moines Register)
How a Small Liberal Arts College in Iowa Could Hand Trump a Big Win Against Labor Rights (Mother Jones)
Inside the College Union Beef Exposing Liberal America’s Elite Hypocrisy (VICE)
Iowa College Challenges Vote To Expand Student Workers Union (Here & Now, WBUR)
Grinnell College ‘Invites Trump onto Campus,’ Aiming to Limit Student Collective Bargaining (Progressive)
Iowa College Becomes Battleground For Student Worker Unionization (NPR)
‘Blatant scare tactics’: Iowa university leads crackdown on student unions (Guardian)
Grinnell Files Federal Appeal Over Vote To Expand Students’ Union (Iowa Public Radio)
Grinnell College Risks its Reputation with Labor Dispute (Iowa Starting Line)
Grinnell College student-worker union falls a few votes short of holding proposed strike (Des Moines Register)
Grinnell Union Workers Vote Not To Authorize Strike (Iowa Public Radio)
An Anti-Union (Liberal) College? (Inside Higher Ed)
Grinnell Union Workers Hope To Negotiate, Halt Appeal (Iowa Public Radio)
Grinnell College students willing to negotiate union disagreement (Radio Iowa)
Alumni Speak Out on College’s Decision to Appeal UGSDW (Scarlet & Black)
The S&B Explains the College’s Union Appeal Process (Scarlet & Black)
Letter to the Editor: A Lifelong Grinnellian Speaks Out on Unionization (Scarlet & Black)
Grinnell student union members to vote whether to strike Friday after administrators refuse to meet with them (Des Moines Register)
Grinnell College president: We won’t bargain with student workers union while our appeal is pending (Des Moines Register)
Grinnell alumni: College should not undermine student union vote (Des Moines Register)
UGSDW Leads Protest to Nollen House in Response to Administrations’ Looming NLRB Appeal (Scarlet & Black)
Iowa College Looks to Stop Students’ Unionizing Effort (Associated Press)
Grinnell Students Protest School’s Attempt to Quash Union (Des Moines Register)
UGSDW Wins Election to Expand Union (Scarlet & Black)
Grinnell student workers approve campuswide union; school’s move to quash has national implications (Des Moines Register)
Liberal Arts Students’ Union Bid Threatens Obama-Era Policy (Bloomberg Law)
Ep. 108: The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (Future Left)
UGSDW Wins Right to Election (Scarlet & Black)
The College Announces Plan to Appeal NLRB Decision (Scarlet & Black)
In Iowa, Pioneering Undergrad Workers Union Keeps Growing (Labor Notes)
Historic Unionization Hearing Concludes, with NLRB Ruling Pending (Scarlet & Black)
College and Union Convene Historic Hearing on Expanded Unionization Efforts (Scarlet & Black)
UGSDW Aims to Expand (Scarlet & Black)
College Community Debates Expanding Union (Scarlet & Black)
Student Workers Demand Union, College Responds “No” (Scarlet & Black)
Grinnell College attempts to become most unionized campus in America (Daily Tar Heel)
Students seek title of “most unionized campus in the country”
(Campus Reform)
These Iowa Students Want Their College to be the “Most Unionized Campus in the Country”
(Des Moines Register)
Grinnell Dining Workers Launch Campaign to Represent All Student Campus Workers
(Workers Independent News)
Union Plans to Represent All Student Workers
(Scarlet & Black)
Grinnell Students Looking to Expand Union
(WOI-TV)
Grinnell College Student Workers Seek to Expand Their Union
(Iowa Public Radio)
UGSDW Negotiates 2.7 Percent Pay Raise
(Scarlet & Black)
Student Union Pushes for Wage
(Scarlet & Black)
Undergraduates Are Workers, Too
(Jacobin magazine)
Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers Advocates for High School Students’ Wages
(Scarlet & Black)
Undergraduate Unions: The Next Frontier?
(Dissent magazine)
Student Dining Worker Union Ratifies Contract, Raises Pay
(Grinnell Magazine)
Union of Students Approves Contract with College
(Scarlet & Black)
Grinnell student employees approve union contract
(Des Moines Register)
Only Independent Undergraduate Labor Union in U.S. Wins Wage Increases
(OurGrinnell)
Bring your Bargaining Chips to the Bargaining Team Meetings
(Scarlet & Black)
Press Releases
Grinnell College Student Workers Strike for Campus-Wide Contract as College Circulates False Claims about Legality
May 11, 2023Student Workers begin strike amid threats, intimidation from Grinnell College
One Big Union: Grinnell College Student Workers File for Campus-Wide Union; College Agrees to Respect Election Results
March 4, 2022The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) held its first general meeting of the fall 2021 semester on Saturday, November 6. At the meeting, attended by more than 40 student workers, the Union announced its next campaign: demanding a starting wage of $15 an hour for all workers in Dining Services.
Grinnell College Illegally Threatens UGSDW
December 10, 2021Press Release
At General Meeting, UGSDW Announces Campaign for $15 an Hour, Students Share Experiences with Understaffing
November 8, 2021The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) held its first general meeting of the fall 2021 semester on Saturday, November 6. At the meeting, attended by more than 40 student workers, the Union announced its next campaign: demanding a starting wage of $15 an hour for all workers in Dining Services.
Mailroom Workers’ Fight for Demands Continues with Poster Action
November 3, 2021This morning, mailroom supervisors came into a workplace covered in posters demanding immediate action on demands put forth by mailroom workers last month. Mailroom workers took action to reiterate their demands after the College opened an investigation into the hostile work environment in the mailroom.
Mailroom Workers Demand End to Toxic Work Environment
October 7, 2021On Thursday, October 7, at 11:15 a.m., mailroom workers organizing with UGSDW delivered a set of demands to supervisors Kim Hegg and Payton Ronfeldt. They are demanding the supervisors cease making racist comments and misgendering workers, which has created a hostile work environment with few protections for workers. They are also demanding a wage increase to $10 an hour, a point system to prevent unjustified firing, and more changes that would protect mailroom workers and improve conditions at the workplace.
UGSDW Approves New Dining Contract
July 22, 2021The new dining contract includes a significant base wage increase, an improved point system, and more. The contract will remain in effect until July 2023.
Solidarity with K-SWOC
May 5, 2021UGSDW Stands in Solidarity with the Kenyon Student Worker Organizing Committee and Strike Participants
UGSDW Considers Multi-Union Affiliation
May 1, 2021At Event Celebrating International Workers Day, UGSDW Officially Began Consideration of Joining Student Workers Across the Country in Affiliation with a National Union
Update on Mailroom Safety Campaign
March 19, 2021Safety changes were only implemented by the college after mail services student workers organized together to demand changes in their workplace. New policies represent a necessary but insufficient response.
Mailroom Workers Organize
March 12, 2021Student Workers in Mailroom Demand Improved Covid Protections and Working Conditions
Statement on College Loan Announcement
November 22, 2020Press Release
Haverford Solidarity Statement
November 18, 2020Dear Haverford Student Strike Organizers and Participants:
Dining Unit Members Reject College’s Final Offer
October 15, 2020UGSDW members who work for Dining services voted overwhelmingly to reject Grinnell College’s final offer. The union and the college have been bargaining for months, and while the bargaining process has led to significant wins, including paid leave for student workers who are required to isolate under the college’s public health policy, discussions have now reached an impasse. The key issue that remains in dispute is wages. Union members have expressed significant need for a raise that reflects difficult economic circumstances, the real risk of working in-person during a pandemic, the ever-increasing cost of attending Grinnell, as well as the essential nature of dining work. In spite of these facts, and despite Grinnell’s continued claims that they can afford to give a raise of any size, the college refused the proposed raise to $11 an hour and also refused to offer any compromise. This can only be taken as a refusal to recognize the true value of student labor in Dining services.
Letter to President Anne Harris
July 29, 2020On Tuesday, July 28th, the UGSDW Executive Board sent a letter to Grinnell College President Anne Harris. The letter responded to Harris’ rhetorical question “How do we start to think about work as a part of what it means to be a student?” from an interview with the S&B and affirmed UGSDW’s qualifications to answer this question as we work for social and economic justice for all Grinnell students. Read the letter below:
Black Lives Matter
June 17, 2020In this moment, we as the union’s Executive Board want to clearly affirm our belief that Black lives matter. We know that the fights we’re in on campus can’t be separated from racism, and that labor justice we care about and fight for cannot be separated from racial justice. We support all our members who are protesting and fighting for justice across the country right now, and we’re proud to stand in solidarity with you.
Work Study Transparency Petition Delivered!
May 5, 2020On Monday, May 4th, UGSDW delivered our petition for Work Study Transparency to Grinnell College President Raynard Kington.
Petition for Work Study Transparency
April 19, 2020As Grinnell College student workers, across departments, we demand transparency into the work study grant determination process. We are asking for the specific formulas applied to determine the grants on a case-by-case basis. We also demand an appeal process so students who were given insufficient grants have a chance to help fix that mistake. You can sign the petition here!
A New Beginning in Our Fight
February 8, 2020We appreciate the Board of Trustees’ enthusiasm for improving worker conditions, but we continue to believe deeply that positive change must be driven by student workers themselves, and that only workers have the right to decide if they should have a union.
UGSDW Members Elect 2020 Executive Board
December 13, 2019Members voted in Decemeber to elect 2020 Executive Board. The newly elected officers will assume office on January 1, 2020.
Trustees: No Decision on Expansion in 2019; Student Workers Rally Against Delays
December 2, 2019Outside Nollen House, student workers and community supporters packed the lawn,sharing stories, and singing labor songs. In so doing, we sent a message loud and clear-we have had enough waiting.
Statement on Board of Trustees Delay of Vote on Partial Expansion
September 28, 2019Trustees delayed decision on partial expansion at the last minute again. UGSDW members are deeply disappointed.
Student Dining Workers Ratify New Contract with Grinnell College for Academic Year 2019-2020
June 10, 2019Press Release
Moving Backward: Statement on May 7 Student Campus Memo
May 8, 2019Trustees suspended discussion on partial expansion at the last minute. UGSDW members are shocked, disappointed, and concerned.
Members Elect Fall 2019 Executive Board
May 6, 2019UGSDW voted on May 4, 2019 to elect officers of the Executive Board. The newly elected officers will assume office on July 1, 2019
UGSDW Unearths Evidence of Racial Discrimination at the Spencer Grill
January 21, 2019New UGSDW Report Details Grinnell’s Consistent Bias in Discipline and Termination Decisions
UGSDW’s New Year Resolution
January 1, 2019UGSDW revisits a historic year of labor organizing, and envisions the fight to build a powerful union for all working students in 2019.
Grinnell College Sent Backpedaling After Successful Student Demonstration
December 14, 2018After a student occupation of Grinnell’s administrative building, President Kington said that the college would no longer oppose UGSDW’s request to withdraw its petition.
UGSDW Withdraws Petition, Seeks to Preserve Rights of Student Workers; Grinnell Opposes
December 14, 2018To preserve student workers’ rights nationwide, UGSDW has requested to withdraw its position. Grinnell College is hypocritically opposing it.
Grinnell College, Running Scared… to Trump
December 11, 2018On Friday, Grinnell filed a request for review with the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. If the NLRB grants the college’s request, it could undo our democratic election victory, and strip student workers in the U.S. of their right to unionize. We are disgusted and saddened by Grinnell’s decision to appeal.
Grinnell College Deals Fatal Blow to Civil Discourse… Again.
December 5, 2018On Wednesday, President Kington officially ran out of excuses for its refusal to speak with Union leadership, instead resorting to blatant lies. This is yet another chapter in a long series of mistruths peddled by the College.
Grinnell College Threatens Union Members in Latest Blow to Civil Discourse
November 30, 2018On Friday, after a successful labor action by UGSDW activists, Grinnell College made more baseless claims that jeopardize our campus’s essential freedoms.
Student Workers: We’re Stickin’ with the Union
November 27, 2018On Tuesday, ballots were cast and counted in the National Labor Relations Board’s secret ballot election determining whether student workers across campus want to be represented by UGSDW. We are excited to announce that we won the election by a five-to-one margin!
Statement on Nov. 19 Special Campus Memo
November 19, 2018Grinnell College has filed a motion to stay the union election and prevent student workers from voting. UGSDW is fighting tooth and nail to keep the election on track.
Statement on Nov. 12 Special Campus Memo
November 12, 2018On Monday, Grinnell College administration released yet another Special Campus Memo responding to UGSDW’s continued fight for worker’s rights. They are grasping at straws.
Student Workers Prevail as NLRB Directs Union Election
November 5, 2018On Monday, November 5, the Regional Director of the NLRB in Minneapolis published a decision about our pending unionization case, directing an election for November 27.
UGSDW Files for Election, Paving the Way for Campus-wide Union
October 8, 2018UGSDW filed a petition on Monday with the federal National Labor Relations Board, a first step towards a union election which would allow UGSDW to represent all student workers at Grinnell College. If more than 50% of the votes at the election are for the union, it will be certified, and the college will be required to start bargaining over wages, benefits, and workplace conditions.
The Most Unionized Campus in America
September 20, 2017UGSDW announced Wednesday a new effort to unionize all student workers at Grinnell College. If successful, the union would triple the size of its bargaining unit and make Grinnell the only educational institution in the country to have every undergraduate worker represented by a union.
Student Dining Workers Ratify New Contract with Grinnell College
September 9, 2017UGSDW members voted unanimously Saturday to ratify a new two-year contract with Grinnell College, ending a months-long dispute over cost-of-living adjustments for dining hall employees. Beginning next week, wages will increase to $9.50 per hour from $9.25 per hour. Starting in July 2018, wages will increase again, in proportion to the raise received by other support staff at the college.
Members Reject Grinnell’s Final Offer — Again
August 27, 2017Press Release
Statement on the Closing of Bob’s Underground Cafe and Lyle’s Pub
August 26, 2017Press Release
UGSDW Endorses Summer White for SGA President
February 23, 2017Press Release
UGSDW Begins Unionization of the Spencer Grill
November 27, 2016Press Release
First Contract Ratified!
September 27, 2016Union members today approved their first contract with Grinnell College, and the first in the nation between a private college or university and an undergraduate labor union.
Tentative Agreement Reached
September 25, 2016The Contract Bargaining Team today unanimously recommended the tentative collective bargaining agreement reached with Grinnell College.
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