April 4, 2024
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College have signed a three-year contract governing all student employment at the College. The contract has been ratified by a vote of UGSDW membership.
March 14, 2024
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers and Grinnell College met for mediation with a representative from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Prior to that meeting, the College supplied a revised draft contract and data regarding student wages and hours worked in the 2023-2024 academic year to date.
March 7, 2024
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the March 7 recording.
February 28, 2024
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers and Grinnell College met for mediation with a representative from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
April 27, 2023
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers and Grinnell College met for mediation with a representative from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
April 26, 2023
Grinnell College provided UGSDW with a revised comprehensive proposal reflecting agreements from the April 6 mediation.
April 12, 2023
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the April 12 recording.
April 6, 2023
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers and Grinnell College met for mediation with a representative from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
March 24, 2023
Agenda
- Collective Bargaining Status
- UGSDW Office Space
- Reviewing outstanding unpresented proposals (based on our proposal document)
- Wages
- Information to the Union
- Sanctuary Campus
- Leaves of Absence
Rationale Response
Draft Contract: Red-lined
Draft Contract: Clean
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access part one and part two of the March 24 recording.
March 22, 2023
Agenda
- Reviewing outstanding unpresented proposals (based on our proposal document)
- Hiring & Training
- Hours & Overtime
- Union Rights/Security and Information to the Union
- Wages
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the March 22 recording.
March 16, 2023
Agenda
- Bargaining during spring break and mediation
- Student Data Privacy and Security
- Wages
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the March 16 recording.
March 9, 2023
Agenda
- Review status of current negotiations
- Grievance Procedure
- Non-Discrimination
- Recognition
- Leaves of Absence
- Health and Safety
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the March 9 recording.
March 2, 2023
Agenda
- Adding additional collective bargaining sessions on Saturdays
- Third-party external mediator
- Wages
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the March 2 recording.
February 23, 2023
The Feb. 16 session was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Agenda
- New UGSDW Proposals
- Wages
- On February 23, the College increased the wage rate offer as follows:
|
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
|
Level I |
$11.50 |
$11.73 |
$11.96 |
$12.20 |
|
Level II |
$13.25 |
$13.52 |
$13.79 |
$14.06 |
*Please note that the vast majority of student jobs on campus are Level II
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the February 23 recording.
February 9, 2023
Agenda
- Orientation sessions
- Information to the union
- Negotiation training
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the February 9 recording.
December 8, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the Dec. 8 recording.
Wage Proposal in the Context of Financial Aid – Presented 12.08.22
December 1, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the Dec. 1 recording.
November 17, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the Nov. 17 recording.
November 10, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the recording at the link below.
In a good-faith effort to move bargaining forward, the Grinnell College team presented a Wage proposal for negotiation to UGSDW in today’s session. The College’s stated wage philosophy aspires to provide an hourly wage to student workers that is comparable to the average hourly wage paid by the institutions that are part of the set of 16 peer institutions located in the Central region of the United States and that factors in the average wages paid by private institutions in Iowa. Comparative wage research data compiled by the college is linked below.
Today’s bargaining session included discussion on a wide range of issues including a discussion about just cause and bargaining with an open audience. The College’s position on just cause for academic workers is that faculty supervisors must have the autonomy that academic freedom safeguards to teach and conduct scholarly research as they see fit. Under the American Association of University Professors’ 1940 Statement of Principles on academic freedom, “Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in its teaching aspect is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher in teaching and of the student to freedom in learning.” The full statement on academic freedom is available in Part Eight of the Grinnell College Faculty Handbook section: “Principles of Academic Freedom.”
If a course assistant, lab assistant, teaching assistant, mentor or research assistant does not fulfill their job responsibilities, academic freedom as defined above can be compromised. UGSDW’s proposed Just Cause process would make it very difficult to move individuals from these academic positions when their performance may be detrimental to teaching or research. Recognizing that this may be through no fault of the student worker, the College also proposes that, should a student in any of the academic positions outlined above need to be moved for reasons of academic freedom, they shall be offered an alternative work assignment at the same rate of pay and equivalent hours to the original assignment.
The College believes that substantive bargaining is hindered by the presence of an audience prepared to disrupt proceedings and interact with the Union bargaining team. As a gesture of good faith, the College continues to allow observers via Webex and distributes the link to do so in the Campus Memo. Additionally, the College posts the recording to this site to enable any interested member of the community to view the session in its entirety.
Break Period Work and International Student Employment Data
You can access the Nov. 10 recording.
November 7, 2022 - Update on UGSDW Negotiations
UGSDW’s most recent newsletter and video posted to their website and social media materially misrepresent the collective bargaining session held on October 27, 2022.
The Union has edited video of the session to create the appearance that the College’s bargaining team left the table after being unable to answer a question on academic freedom. The full, unedited video of the meeting can be found on the HR website.
In fact, the College’s bargaining team called a five-minute break to discuss the disrespectful and disruptive behavior of the audience. The presence of a live audience is unusual in collective bargaining. In previous rulings, the National Labor Relations Board has noted that “the presence of member-observers would tend to impede negotiations by chilling the candor and free exchange of ideas so important to successful, good-faith collective bargaining.” ( Canterbury Villa of Alliance District 1199.)
Calling a break or a caucus is a common procedure in collective bargaining. Earlier in the same session, UGSDW called a 15-minute caucus to discuss a bargaining issue without the College issuing accusations that there was a walkout.
The bargaining team assessed that audience disruptions were hindering the teams’ ability to bargain productively and noted that UGSDW leadership affirmed in a previous Union Management Committee meeting that collective bargaining could occur without audience disruptions.
To the matter of defining academic freedom: The College provided UGSDW with the definition of academic freedom in the faculty handbook, which closely follows the American Association of University Professors’ definition.
Grinnell College is committed to productive bargaining with UGSDW over wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment. Misrepresentation by the UGSDW of events in discussion in its public communication with members and the campus community hinders good faith bargaining. We will continue to work to establish productive conditions for collective bargaining with the goal of a collective bargaining agreement.
November 3, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College did not meet for collective bargaining on this date.
October 27, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining. You can access the Oct. 27 recording.
October 13, 2022
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College met for collective bargaining, and the session was livestreamed and recorded — you can access the Oct. 13 recording.
October 6, 2022 - Collective Bargaining Opening Statement
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and Grinnell College began collective bargaining, and the Oct. 6 session was livestreamed and recorded. UGSDW representatives read opening statements, and the College's Collective Bargaining Team read an opening statement and put forth a statement of bargaining interests.
September 19, 2022 - Statement Regarding Charges of Illegal Bargaining Activities
The Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) has accused the college of breaking federal labor law through two claims made on the Union website and newsletter and on fliers posted on campus. These claims misrepresent or omit important facts and circumstances. As an educational institution committed to rigorous inquiry and critical evaluation of our own and others’ ideas, it is important that we act in concert with our values by providing fair, accurate, and robust information to our campus community.
August 11, 2022 - Notice of Voluntary Recognition
On August 1, 2022, the College filed with the National Labor Relations Board a Voluntary Recognition Notice, which recognized the accretion of Community Assistants to the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (“UGSDW”). The Voluntary Recognition Notice was filed in response to a card check by which a majority of the Community Assistants indicated that they wished to be represented by the UGSDW.
April 26, 2022 - UGSDW Election Outcome
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced the outcome of the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) union expansion election. The results counted 333 eligible ballots from 721 eligible voters, with 327 voting for expansion and 6 voting against; while 6 ballots were deemed not eligible by the NLRB and 2 ballots were challenged.
March 4, 2022 - Neutrality Agreement Signed by College and UGSDW
Grinnell College and Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) have successfully reached a neutrality agreement to govern a possible election related to expanding the student union.
Feb. 10, 2022 - Union Discussions
There have been a series of conversations between student leaders of the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) and College leadership.