UAW Strike Pay, Hardship Fund, Mutual Aid; Schedule Updates
Dear Student Workers,
As we near the middle of week 2 of our strike and Columbia withholds our first paycheck, we are reaching out with updates on rounds 0 & 1 of the Hardship Fund, UAW Strike Fund, mutual aid efforts, and more information on rent strike recommendations.
UAW Strike Pay
The Hardship Fund and UAW strike pay are two separate things. The Hardship fund is designed to supplement UAW Strike Pay. Payments from the UAW Strike Fund are anticipated to go out around November 18th ($275 for the second week of the strike; as a reminder week one will be paid out at the conclusion of the strike). Anyone on strike who completes the form, and then signs in (and out) of 10 hours of picketing each week will receive a weekly payment (plus an additional $275 the week of Thanksgiving, if we’re still on strike). You can sign up for shifts using either the In-Person Picket Sign-up Form or the Digital Picket Sign-up Form. You can also email columbiagradunion@gmail.com to apply for a picketing exemption.
Important: For those without a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), you should complete a W-8BEN form and email Gordon Deane at UAW who will ensure your form is processed so you can receive payment from the strike fund. In the meantime, we anticipate there being some delays with this process and the Hardship Fund is prepared to support those who are affected, so please specify if this is your case when applying for “Round 2”.
SWC Hardship Fund
The application period for Rounds 0 & 1 of the SWC Hardship Fund have concluded. If you applied for either round, you have likely already received an email and/or your disbursement. If not, you should be receiving an email and your disbursement as soon as today.
The next round of funding (“Round 2”) will remain open through Friday, November 26th. You can apply here. This round will be disbursed on or around November 29th to remain aligned with a typical Columbia pay schedule. The hardship fund may make an exception to the disbursement schedule for urgent financial needs- please explain any extenuating circumstances in your application.
As with Rounds 0 & 1, Round 2 will be distributed via your preferred mobile payment method (e.g., Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, Zelle, or check).
Rent Strike
Hundreds of student workers are in the position of not being able to afford December rent due to withheld pay. Because of this we are organizing a rent strike, which means those in Columbia housing will withhold December rent until Columbia gives us back pay for the weeks on strike. Student workers living in University Housing have an advantage. The University is unlikely to evict thousands of people during a pandemic. (Plus, the NYC Eviction Moratorium has just been extended to January 15, 2022.) During the Spring UAH Rent Strike, no one was evicted and many reported that late fees were waived. If Columbia does not waive these late fees, the Hardship Fund can be used to cover them. Even if you can continue paying rent, and even if you are not on strike, we urge folks to withhold UAH rent for the month of December. This 1) directly interrupts CU’s cash flow, 2) increases strike visibility, and 3) allows us to focus rent assistance in the Hardship Fund for folks living off campus, where it’s more risky to miss payments. Sign up to join the Rent Strike here.
If you live in CU housing and are striking: Withhold UAH rent. Strikers can apply to the Hardship Fund for assistance with potential late fees, but should avoid requesting funds for rent. The rent bill can be paid when we win back pay. In this case, the Company Town Scheme is in our favor: Columbia knows they can’t expect rent until they pay us.
If you live in CU housing and are not striking: Withhold UAH rent in solidarity. As you get paid, set aside that money so that you can pay your bill when the strike is over. You can also request that they cancel late fees when you do so.
If you live off-campus and are striking: Apply to the Hardship Fund for rent assistance.
If you live off-campus and are not striking: Please donate to the Hardship Fund.
Mutual Aid
We are starting to work on different ways we can support each other during our strike.
The non-financial mutual-aid support is a master spreadsheet where people in the unit (and supporters) can put down non-financial things they can contribute or that they need, and by that strengthen and support each other during the strike. In the spreadsheet you will find different (and more coming!) tabs: food; childcare/dependents; housing; other. Under each tab you can fill in what you can contribute/ what you need. Make sure to put your contact details so people can contact each other.
If you find something that can be of help/someone you can help, contact the person directly. If you can no longer contribute/no longer need help, please make sure to remove your name.
We have much to give to each other! Strengthening our community and our connections within the unit can make this time more bearable and even fun.
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To get more of your financial questions answered, check out our $$$ FAQ and our allocation guidelines here.
We know finances can be stressful so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us (gwchardshipfund@gmail.com) with any questions or concerns related to the Hardship Fund.
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Last, attached is an updated schedule for the week. We have an exciting addition to the teach-in schedule. A Local 281 worker with John Deere will join us on the digital picket line on Thursday at 4:30PM. We are not advertising this publicly, and the event will be only open to unit members. Please use the digital picket line link to attend.
If you would like to show your solidarity via Zoom, here are some Strike Zoom Profile options.
In solidarity,
Hardship Fund Committee