Common Union Terms and Definitions
[On] appointment: You are on appointment if you are currently employed in a teaching or research role. Some members of our union – for example, many first years in GSAS – are not yet employed in teaching roles, a responsibility that begins in their second year. As long as you are in our bargaining unit, i.e. your appointment letter stipulates that you will be employed as a teacher or researcher for the university while here, you can sign a union card – even if you’re not yet on appointment.
Appointment letter: According to our contract, the University is required to provide all workers in bargaining unit positions with an appointment letter no later than thirty days before your employment begins. This letter must contain your title; dates and duration of appointment; hiring unit and contact; the general terms of the appointment; the name of your faculty supervisor; the scope of your responsibilities; and a statement that your position is covered by our contract. If you do not receive an appointment letter, or if it is missing any of this information, that is a contract violation and you should contact a steward!
Bargaining unit: This term describes the scope of our union. The bargaining unit is made up of full time students who a) are currently employed in a bargaining unit position (see below), b) have been employed in a bargaining unit position in the past, or c) are enrolled in a program which will require them to hold a bargaining unit position in the future. If you’re not sure if you’re a member of our bargaining unit, contact a steward!
Bargaining unit position: If you are a Columbia student who provides teaching or instructional labor for the university, you are employed in a bargaining unit position. Bargaining unit job titles include (but are not limited to) Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow, Preceptor, Course Assistant, Reader, Grader, Graduate Research Assistant (including GRAs who are compensated via external fellowship) and Departmental Research Assistant.
Note that some members of our bargaining unit work additional positions which are outside of the bargaining unit–for example, you may take a job in the library, or as a rapporteur for a University Seminar. Taking an additional job like that doesn’t affect your union membership, and you don’t pay dues on the income you receive from that work. Sometimes, however, the University tries to pass off bargaining unit positions as being outside of our unit so that they can, e.g., pay less than the contract minimum. If you suspect something like that is going on, contact a steward!
Bylaws: These are the rules which regulate our operations as a Local. You can read them here (bit.ly/swc_bylaws). They were drafted by union members, approved through a membership- wide vote, and may be amended or revised as necessary.
Constitution: In addition to our own bylaws, we are governed by the International constitution, which you can read here (bit.ly/uaw_constitution). The constitution was most recently amended at the 2022 Constitutional Convention by delegates from UAW Locals.
Contract: Also known as a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), this document defines the minimum working conditions and expectations of bargaining unit employment–you can read it here. Our current contract expires June 30, 2025, and bargaining for a new contract will begin no later than May 1, 2025.
Executive Board: The Executive Board (EB) is made up of nine elected union members who hold positions mandated by the UAW constitution and described in our bylaws. The positions are: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Guide, Sergeant-at-Arms, and three Trustees.
General Body Meeting (GBM): Also known as a Membership Meeting, these meetings constitute the highest decision-making body in our union. We hold at least one GBM a month and all members are encouraged to attend: if you’re going to come to just one union meeting, make it a GBM! GBMs are advertised on the mailing list and over WhatsApp announcements; you can also check the calendar for the GBM schedule.
Good standing: A member in good standing has fulfilled all the requirements of membership and may participate in union decision-making. Some positions (such as Executive Board roles) require that you have been a member in good standing for at least a year. Please see the “Union Dues” section for more information about how to become a member in good standing. If you’re not sure if you’re in good standing, you can contact the Financial Secretary (financialsecretary@studentworkersofcolumbia.com).
Grievance: This is a formal complaint to management by a worker or group of workers about a contract violation, and it is one of our primary means of enforcing our contract. There is a grievance process which proceeds through several escalating steps, culminating in an arbitration hearing with a third party if necessary. Stewards and the Grievance Committee assist bargaining unit members in filing grievances and shepherding them through the grievance process.
International: See, United Auto Workers (UAW).
Local: The Local is our specific branch of the UAW, as opposed to the International, which is the UAW organization as a whole. We are UAW Local 2710. There are many UAW Locals, including two other Locals at Columbia: Local 4100, Columbia Postdoctoral Workers (CPW), and Local 2110, which represents Columbia support staff. Some Locals are amalgamated, which means they represent more than one bargaining unit. Local 2110, for example, represents workers at museums and cultural institutions throughout New York in addition to Columbia support staff.
Our local is not amalgamated–we have just one bargaining unit (student instructors and researchers at Columbia).
Membership Meeting: See, General Body Meeting (GBM).
Organizer: We use this term broadly and loosely to describe any union member who’s active in union activities. Organizers may hold an elected position, or not. There is no formal process to become an organizer–you just have to show up and pitch in! See “Getting Involved in the Union” to learn how you can become an organizer.
Rank and file: This term refers to the ordinary membership of our Local, as opposed to the elected leaders. It is an important principle of our Local that the rank and file are the ultimate authority in all decision-making.
Steward: The role of the steward is to enforce our contract and handle worker grievances. Stewards are union members who are elected by district. In general, if you have a question or concern about your working conditions or if you believe you’ve experienced a contract violation, a steward is the person you should go to for help.
Union member: If you are a member of our bargaining unit, you are eligible for union membership! To become a union member, sign a card and authorize dues deductions. To be a member in good standing, you must pay the $10 initiation fee, and pay 1.44% of your total gross compensation while employed in a bargaining unit position in dues.
United Auto Workers (UAW): The UAW is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and represents autoworkers at the “Big Three” (Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis) as well as workers in academic, legal, office, technical, human services, and cultural workplaces. The UAW at large is often called the International–to distinguish it from the Local, which is the specific branch of the UAW. The UAW is divided into regions; our region is 9A, which covers parts of New York, New England, and Puerto Rico.
Weingarten Rights: As a member of our bargaining unit, you have the right to have a union representative (a steward or other organizer) accompany you to any investigatory interview which may result in your being disciplined or fired. If a supervisor requests to meet with you about your conduct or performance as an employee, reach out to a steward before attending any meeting! A union representative will help ensure that your rights under our contract are not violated, and will be able to assist in filing a grievance if necessary.
Workplace Council: This is the standing, biweekly meeting at which stewards, executive board members, and other organizers make routine decisions, discuss organizing strategy and priorities, and stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the union. As with all of our meetings, it is open to all members who wish to attend and participate.