Major Unions Announce Coalition on Higher Ed Organizing

Leaders from the Service Employees International Union, the United Auto Workers, American Federation of Teachers, and UNITE HERE announced March 14 a new coalition to organize graduate student workers at private universities.

A 2016 labor board decision involving Columbia University paved the way for graduate workers to unionize at private colleges. Students and unions think that a Republican-majority NLRB could overturn that ruling. By working together, the four major unions are pursuing alternatives that don’t involve the National Labor Relations Board.

Each union will contribute money, political connections, and on-the-ground membership to support organizing efforts on private campuses, Julie Kushner, ...