Latest News
Grinnell College Refuses to Bargain Due to Strike; UGSDW Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge as Strike Continues
May 11, 2023The college unilaterally declared impasse after falsely declaring student workers’ strike “unlawful”
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
Worker Power, Edition 11
January 30, 2023Worker Power, Edition 11
Worker Power, Edition #10
December 4, 2022The Case for $20 an Hour!
Worker Power, Edition #9
November 13, 2022Student Workers Rally for Just Cause and Open Bargaining!
Worker Power, Edition #8
November 5, 2022College Walks Out of Negotiations After Failing to Define “Academic Freedom”
Worker Power, Edition #7
October 25, 2022Next Bargaining Session: October 27, 4:30 PM — JRC 101 or on WebEx
Worker Power, Edition #6
October 9, 2022Second Bargaining Session October 13, 4:30 PM in JRC 101 and on WebEx
UGSDW Opening Statement
October 9, 2022UGSDW Opening Statement, Delivered in Bargaining on October 6, 2022
Worker Power, Edition #5
October 2, 2022Divided We Beg, United We Bargain
Worker Power, Edition #4
September 25, 2022Get Ready! Two Weeks Until Bargaining Begins
Worker Power, Edition #3
September 21, 2022We Need Real Recourse for Workplace Discrimination and Harassment!
Worker Power, Edition #2
September 13, 2022Student Workers Make Action Plan At General Meeting
Worker Power, Edition #1
September 5, 2022Higher Wages Now!
College Voluntarily Recognizes CAs as a part of UGSDW
August 15, 2022On August 1, 2022, Grinnell College voluntarily recognized UGSDW as the legal bargaining representative of Community Advisors (CAs). In May 2022, after months of organizing, CAs presented the College with union cards from a large majority of their coworkers and CAs were finally recognized as student workers who deserve the right to collectively bargain.
STATEMENT: Protect Abortion Rights for All: Fight Supreme Court’s Attack on Reproductive Health
June 25, 2022Student Workers Must Take Action to Defend Access to Reproductive Healthcare
UGSDW wins Historic Union Election
April 26, 2022BREAKING NEWS: UGSDW wins historic union election to expand to all hourly student workers at Grinnell College.
STATEMENT: Iowa’s Anti-Trans Law Must Go!
March 14, 2022Student workers stand in solidarity with trans athletes against Iowa’s regressive law.
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
2020 End of Year Update
January 6, 2021Recap of 2020 work and election results:
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!
COVID-19 Open Letter to President Kington
April 8, 2020On Wednesday, April 8th, the UGSDW Executive Board sent an open letter to President Raynard Kington detailing concerns about Grinnell Colleges response to the coronavirus crisis. Read the letter below:
COVID-19 Updates (March 31st, 2020)
March 31, 2020We are pushing the administration to clarify new student worker policies. We encourage all student workers to fill out our COVID-19 survey, and join us at the online union meeting on April 12th.
Our Next Steps in the Time of COVID-19
March 12, 2020This is a time when our solidarity and community become so much more important. Know that UGSDW as an organization is here for all of you. In this tumultuous time, we are striving to use every tool in our arsenal to maintain our fight for economic and social justice for all members of the Grinnell community.
Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and the Unist’ot’en house group
March 5, 2020Student workers stand in solidarity with Indigenous people in their struggle.
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.
Trustees Delay on Expansion Again; UGSDW Announces Next Phase of Organizing.
November 8, 2019The Board of Trustees refused to release a timeline on partial expansion. We will fight for fair wages and working conditions for all student workers of Grinnell College with every tool in our arsenal, to the fullest extent of our power.
.jpg)
First Year Student: Why I am Fighting for Union Expansion
October 11, 2019Although Grinnell has many draws, like its strong academics and the intimate campus, one of the primary reasons I came here was the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers.
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.
Alumni: It is Time for Trustees to Accept Selective Expansion
September 28, 2019Ahead of the October Board of Trustees meeting, 200 Grinnell alumni urges trustees to accept partial expansion of union representation to student workers.
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
Statement on Feb. 21 Special Campus Memo
February 21, 2019Fighting for all student workers, UGSDW looks forward to a dialogue with the administration.
Our Letter to the Board of Trustees
February 9, 2019UGSDW President Quinn Ercolani sent a letter to the trustees, explaining the reasons behind our recent disruption of their meeting, and reiterating our request for discussion and dialogue with the college.
Trustees Walk Out as UGSDW Asks for Dialogue
February 8, 2019On February 8, to reiterate our demand for President Kington to meet with us and discuss our ongoing expansion campaign, 40 UGSDW members peacefully disrupted a meeting of the trustees of the college.
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!
A Case for UGSDW for All
November 23, 2018UGSDW lays out a compelling case for voting YES on November 27, and explains why the college’s arguments amount to little more than fearmongering.
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.
Wage Increase for Dining Services in Academic Year 2018-2019
July 15, 2018GRINNELL, IOWA — UGSDW is pleased to announce that, as a result of our hard-fought Fall 2017 contract, base wage for Dining Services (D-hall, Spencer Grill, Catering) will be increased by 2.7 percent from $9.50 to $9.76 per hour. The maximum wage in Dining Services will be $11.56 an hour, accounting for experience bonuses and Student Leader status.
End-of-Year Financial Report
July 15, 2018GRINNELL, IOWA — UGSDW has released its end-of-year financial report for fiscal year 2018. The financial report details the union’s assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses from June 2017 through May 2018.
UGSDW Wins Reinstatement for Student Employees
July 14, 2018UGSDW won reinstatement of 146 wrongfully fired student dining employees, but much remains to be improved in the employment practices of Grinnell College. UGSDW will fight toward a campus-wide union to address problems across the campus.
A Response to President Kington
April 19, 2018Today President Kington sent out a Special Campus Memo addressing our ongoing unionization efforts. The memo is full of vague statements, and a few thinly-veiled threats. Notably absent is the recognition we have been fighting for: that student workers are employees and have the right to organize. The administration refuses to treat us as such; instead they advance an argument against unionization that is simply unsupported by the facts.
Grinnell’s Anti-worker Agenda
November 16, 2017In September, UGSDW announced a campaign to bring union representation to all student workers at Grinnell. We tried to work with the Grinnell administration to reach an agreement that would ensure students had the right to decide for themselves whether to unionize or not, free from interference and intimidation.
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
End-of-Year Financial Report
June 6, 2017Press Release
Members Unanimously Reject College Proposal
May 17, 2017In a special meeting UGSDW members unanimously rejected the College’s final proposal for the 2017-2018 contract. The college offered a paltry ten cent raise, but only starting in 2018. The members have communicated to the college that, for now, they will not accept a wage below $9.60, a cost of living adjustment that matched the increase in Grinnell’s comprehensive fee for the 2017-18 academic year. The college has refused to recognize that the wages that we make go directly to paying for food and other amenities that we need to attend Grinnell, which only becomes harder and harder as tuition is increased year over year.
Grinnell’s Final Offer
May 15, 2017Today administrators with the College presented their final contract offer. While many of the Union’s original proposals, such as increased bonus tiers and better handling of health and safety issues, were included, the College’s proposal does not include any change to the current base wage of $9.25 an hour.
May Day Barbecue
April 27, 2017Join us at Cleveland Beach from 4:30–6:00 p.m. on Sunday April 30 (rain location: Loose Lounge) for a barbecue to celebrate May Day and International Workers’ Day. Come and enjoy hot dogs and other refreshments. Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.
2017–2018 Officer Elections
April 17, 2017UGSDW officer elections will be held on Saturday, May 6, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in JRC 209. All four Executive Board positions will be elected to a term of one year.
Equal Wage Protest a Success!
April 11, 2017On Monday, April 10, UGSDW members protested Grinnell’s treatment of high school dining workers. The union gathered over 200 signatures, and raised awareness of the college’s outrageous behavior.
Equal Wage Protest
April 8, 2017On Monday, April 10, UGSDW will be outside the dining hall protesting the College’s treatment of high school workers.
Grinnell, Stop Cheating Your Workers
April 4, 2017We hear a lot about Grinnell’s commitment to social responsibility. It’s plastered all over the College’s website and the glossy brochures it sends out every fall. But what does that commitment look like in practice?
UGSDW Endorses Summer White for SGA President
February 23, 2017Press Release
Experience Pay Bonuses
December 7, 2016Don’t miss the opportunity to earn experience pay for the Fall 2016 semester! Our contract requires that you work at least 110 hours this semester in order to qualify for a bonus. Hours worked before the contract went into effect count towards this amount.
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.