Refusing to Counter Propose, Columbia Sticks to Rhetorics

Today’s bargaining session was an opportunity for the University to offer counter proposals to the package the BC dropped last week. Columbia did not present a single counter proposal. Instead, they opened with their usual monologue that the rejected TA already qualified as a compromise for the University. After claiming our team’s package would represent a $60 million increase over the TA in the first year, for a total 3-year increase of at least $200 million (our own calculations estimate is far lower), Columbia followed up with a familiar line -- “we’re not even in the same universe”.

Columbia agreed to “walk us through” their analysis and then possibly provide us with a written document in exchange for our own costing analysis at the coming bargaining session this Tuesday at 10 am. We reminded Columbia that over 1,800 student workers authorized a strike should they continue to stonewall us.

After an almost hour-long caucus, Columbia gave us some insight into points of contention. Columbia’s lawyer qualified as irrational our demands for a $26/hour wage (below both median and average rates for educational and library services in the state), unlimited access to childcare services on campus, and clear covid funding extensions for PhD students whose research was interrupted.

We once again reminded the University of our requests for information (RFIs) that remain outstanding since August (!!), citing their critical nature, especially when it comes to analyzing the cost of a package proposal. Our team urged the University to bargain over non-economic articles (Non-discrimination and Harassment) if they refuse to bargain on the economic ones, but the University declined this as well.

We concluded the session by demanding counter proposals in writing and reminding Columbia that we will be expecting the RFIs and cost analysis prior to our next session on October 12th.

Despite Columbia’s usual theatrics, we maintain that it is not our package proposal that is “astounding”; what’s astounding are the benefits (or lack thereof) that are currently provided to student workers and Columbia’s sheer refusal to provide us with anything to bargain over in the first place. The power of our unit is strong as ever, as evidenced by the resounding strike authorization vote and consistently high turnout at every bargaining session. We couldn’t do it without you.

In Solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee