Student workers at Columbia University gave their tentative blessing on Friday to a new contract that raises their wages and improves their health benefits, ending a 10-week strike that disrupted some classes and strained relations with administrators.

Tensions Rise at Columbia as Strikers Fear Retaliation From University. Wednesday’s action brought one of the largest turnouts since the strike began, as union members were joined by members of student worker unions and faculty from New York University, Fordham University and the City University of New York, and labor unions such as Teamsters Local 804. “Today, I think, there’s a real show that we are the backbone of this university, and without us, the university doesn’t really function,” said Mandi Spishak-Thomas, a doctoral student at the School of Social Work and a member of the union’s bargaining committee.

The Columbia Strike Is Still Underway, and Tensions Are High. On December 2, Columbia University’s vice president of human resources Daniel Driscoll sent out an email stating that if workers who have been on an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike didn’t return to work by December 10, their positions would be replaced. The workers are three thousand members of Student Workers of Columbia (SWC), part of UAW Local 2110, and have been on strike since November 3.

Columbia University threatens graduate workers with replacement if they continue strike. “Our interpretation of this email is that it’s basically a threat. They are saying here’s the date, December 10. If you’re still exercising your right to engage in protected activity on or after December 10 there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get your job back. So we think that’s the intention of the threat, but we also think that what they’re doing is unlawful,” said Ethan Jacobs, a graduate student worker in the philosophy department at Columbia University and a member of the GWC-UAW Local 2110 bargaining committee.

The biggest strike in America is at Columbia University. 3,000 student workers are fighting for a livable wage, health benefits, and more. Columbia says it can't afford workers' demands — after its most lucrative year in 15 years.

The Rachel Maddow Show, 10/27/21. Working grad students at Columbia University in New York walked out of their classrooms. They plan to strike next week if they don`t believe what they believe is a fair contract.

Columbia University student workers demand better benefits, wages. “PhD student workers do not make a living wage in New York City,” Hache added. “With a university that has a $14.3 billion dollar endowment, we think that’s a little bit outrageous.”

Student Workers of Columbia Are Running the Biggest Ongoing U.S. Labor Strike. “We are parents and caretakers. We are debt-burdened. We have bodies and teeth that require medical attention, leaving us with bills we cannot pay, or unwilling to seek the care we need," Lexie Cook, a Ph.D. student and student worker at Columbia, tells Teen Vogue.

Columbia grad students are on strike over pay changes and unmet contract demands. "Money is a lot more tight these days with all our upfront expenses," Nick Olsen, a doctoral student in chemical physics, said. In a survey conducted by Columbia's Arts and Sciences Graduate Council last year, 54% of respondents said they spent more than 50% of their income on rent.

The Second-Largest Strike in the U.S. Is Happening in New York City. It was another skirmish in a conflict that has pitted the school against a group made up primarily of unionized undergraduate and graduate teaching and research assistants. On Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., these student workers went on strike.