Earlier this fall, President Raynard S. Kington met with a group of leaders affiliated with the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW). They had a cordial, yet spirited discussion about the union’s intent to renew efforts to pursue representation of all students who work for the College. Currently, student dining service workers are the only Grinnell student workers represented by a union.
The College did not oppose the unionization of students in dining services and their decision to be represented by the union in October 2016. Forming a union for the type of work in dining made sense because the work is not essentially bound to the educational mission of the College and is relatively homogenous in nature. Furthermore, dining service work can be filled by students or other Grinnell community members. This is not so for many of the other types of work that students do at Grinnell. And for that reason, we oppose expanding the student union.
On Monday, October 8, UGSDW filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requesting an election where all student workers could vote on whether to have a campus-wide union. The NLRB is holding a hearing this week in response to that petition.
The College’s legal representatives drafted a “Statement of Issues and the Position of Grinnell College,” a briefing document in preparation for the hearing that was sent to the union’s leadership before it was reviewed and approved by College administration.
On the day the NLRB hearing began (October 17), the College learned the Statement of Position included the following sentences: “Imposing the collective bargaining construct on undergraduate employment at Grinnell College would, as explained earlier, have the unavoidable result of dictating that campus employment opportunities be given to needy students. This would result in a ‘caste’ system or the creation of an underclass of serfs performing campus employment opportunities while their wealthy classmates simply concentrated on their studies.”
This does not represent the College’s view of any student, and consequently the College asked to submit a modified Statement of Position without that language. The judge for this hearing is considering the request.
Grinnell College exists to educate students through outstanding academic experiences, and does so without regard for the ability of a student or student’s family to pay. Students are offered opportunities to work on campus for a variety of reasons, ranging from financial support to practical experience. Regardless of the job being done, the College’s educational mission is the foremost priority across the majority of work opportunities.
The College will continue to collaborate with union and nonunion members of the student body alike, to provide a safe environment, to maximize the value of the student work experience for their educational experience, and to treat all workers with respect.