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Bargaining negotiations between Columbia and the SWC-UAW have moved into mediation, with the student-worker strike continuing
By Maria Shaughnessy / Columbia Daily SpectatorStudent workers are continuing to strike during mediation, unlike during last spring’s failed strike when they went on pause for mediation.By Talia Abrahamson • November 23, 2021 at 3:01 AM
By Talia Abrahamson • November 23, 2021 at 3:01 AM
The Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers and the University met for their first mediation session on Monday, one day after agreeing on a private mediator. The student-worker strike, which started on Nov. 3, is continuing with daily pickets and withholding labor.
While mediation began in a fact-finding stage, with Kevin Flanigan––SWC-UAW’s top choice for mediation––orienting himself to the positions of both sides, it ultimately has the potential to speed up dialogue and lead to negotiation of a labor contract.
“Entering mediation is an encouraging step that holds out the promise of a resolution,” Provost Mary Boyce wrote to the Columbia community on Monday. “Nevertheless, the authority to conclude the strike remains with the union.”
The University has indicated that they see mediation as the best way to make progress considering that there is still a $140 million gap between proposals, which SWC-UAW disputes, and ideological differences regarding arbitration for nondiscrimination and harassment claims. The question of whether to move into mediation has been slowing down the bargaining progress, with the SWC-UAW resisting efforts in fear of receiving the same result as last spring’s strike, where federal mediation ended in a failed contract. It was not until two weeks into the strike that the SWC-UAW agreed to move into mediation.
SWC-UAW bargaining committee member Becca Roskill, SEAS ’22, said the main reason they are entering mediation is because of the University’s indication that they will consider some form of arbitration for discrimination and harassment, which might act as a starting point for discussions. She said that the SWC-UAW believes that it is possible to reach an agreement that includes all of their outstanding demands, like dental care and higher compensation.
“We’re entering this process of mediation because the University has said that this is an environment in which they’re willing to make some real proposals that constitute improvements on these main issues,” Roskill said, “and stop dancing around what they can do to improve upon the tentative agreement that our unit rejected.”
They chose Flanigan, director of the Office of Conciliation at the Employment Relations Board, for his background in higher education cases. Unlike with Andrea Cancer, the federal mediator who was appointed to negotiate last spring’s failed contract, the SWC-UAW wanted to make a selection based on the reputation of the mediator.
“He’s very experienced,” Lilian Coie, a sixth-year doctoral candidate in neurobiology and a SWC-UAW bargaining committee member, said. “He’s done all kinds of different kinds of mediation, including intensive mediation, which is usually necessary in a case like ours when we’re remaining on strike throughout the mediation.”
The strike will be called off after a majority vote among the SWC-UAW unit. The union has been holding weekly meetings to poll members about continuing the strike, which has now entered its third week.
Flanigan’s role as a mediator is to be an advocate for both the SWC-UAW and Columbia. Roskill insisted that mediation will not be a silver bullet for a contract. Ultimately, it comes down to the willingness of either side to compromise with the strike hanging in the balance.
“The main factor will be the continued engagement of our rank and file and the continued support of the workers in our unit who are fighting,” Roskill said. “Mediation is just a process of trying to craft legal language that represents an agreement that can be made.”
Deputy News Editor Talia Abrahamson can be contacted at talia.abrahamson@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on Twitter at @ColumbiaSpec.
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