Striking Columbia Students Reach Deal With University, They Say

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — After more than two months of striking, thousands of Columbia University graduate students said Friday that they had won a slew of new labor protections from the school, signaling an end to the work stoppage that had been ongoing since November.

The Student Workers of Columbia, a union composed of more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate student workers, proclaimed victory in their negotiations with the university, saying they had secured higher pay, better health coverage, third-party arbitration for allegations of harassment, and other commitments.

"We are thrilled to reach an agreement with Columbia after seven years of building toward this first contract," said Nadeem Mansour, a union bargaining committee member and PhD candidate in Columbia's Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, in a statement.

After 10 weeks, the strike is over! We are thrilled to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with @columbia. This is a historic moment for labor in higher ed, and it is just the beginning. We look forward to getting back to work and compensation for our back work.
— Student Workers of Columbia (@SW_Columbia) January 7, 2022

"What our members achieved is impressive, but this is only the start."

After an initial strike earlier in 2021, the current stoppage began Nov. 3 and escalated in the ensuing weeks, reportedly canceling well over 100 classes as graduate students refused to report to work.

The situation grew more tense in mid-December as the striking workers formed a picket line at the university entrance and complained that the university had threatened to replace them with other workers for the spring semester.

😏✊🔥 @SW_Columbia pic.twitter.com/FOQeDasX7P
— UAW Local 2110 Members for a Democratic Union! (@2110for1M1V) December 8, 2021

The tentative agreement announced Friday includes pay raises of up to 30 percent — a boon for programs like Social Work, whose students had been earning $19,000 below the city's living wage, according to the union.

The university released details of the agreement on its own website. In an email to the Columbia community, provost Mary C. Boyce said the university was "proud of this agreement, which would make Columbia a leader in higher education on a long list of issues affecting student employees."

News of the deal was applauded Friday by elected officials who had spoken out in favor of the striking workers, including U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Councilmember Shaun Abreu.

"Columbia University has built a reputation for excellence largely through reliance on student workers who provide instruction, conduct research, and perform key tasks that keep the institution running," Abreu said in a statement. "I am happy to see that they have reached a tentative agreement with Columbia, and I anticipate its speedy approval."

A 15-day discussion period will give union members the chance to review the agreement before a one-week ratification period. Final results will be announced on Jan. 28.

Previous coverage:

• Columbia Student Protest Intensifies Amid Threat Of Replacement
• Columbia Graduate Students Go On Indefinite Strike