We first discussed the meetings we had around campus last week, including the two general meetings and our visit to EGSC. The general meetings were very helpful for the bargaining committee and a good opportunity to update everyone on the process. We discussed a recommendation from EGSC to produce a summary of bargaining survey results to put on the website, and we will attempt it this week. We also laid out plans for town halls this coming week, including:

  • MONDAY: Communications Town Hall, 7-8 pm, PhD Lounge, Pulitzer Building
  • TUESDAY: SIPA Town Hall, 1-2 pm, IAB 324
  • WEDNESDAY: Lamont Campus Town Hall, 12-1pm, Lamont Campus | STEM Town Hall, 4-6pm, 7th floor conference room, Northwest Corner Building | Undergraduate and Masters Town Hall, 6-7pm, Location TBA

Next we discussed actions we can take at events on campus,email us for more info and to get involved!! We also continue to meet with elected officials, building a team of support to help us bring Columbia to the table. So far, we’ve had productive and supportive conversations with Representatives Joe Crowley and Yvette Clarke. We also have a meeting planned with Congresswoman Grace Meng, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler, the representative for Columbia and Morningside Heights.

We planned to cover the campus in flyers for May 1st, International Workers’ Day, reminding the university that We Are Workers! Science for the People, a campus group, is organizing a group to go downtown to meet up with workers from other campuses at Washington Square Park, as well as a film screening and a panel on campus on the history of May Day and how it relates to current labor struggle. Planning meetings for this event are Wednesdays, 8pm, at the Math building.

We moved to discussing Get Out the Vote efforts for the bargaining platform ratification vote, which is planned for 4/24 to 4/30. An invitation to vote will be sent by email. We will have authorization cards and computers at all the town halls, as well as organizers walking around all week. We will be text/phone banking from 12-6 on Thursday. There will also be graduate workers in campus cafes that week with computers and signs reminding you to vote!

We voted to sign onto a Sanctuary campus petition started by other New York campuses and ended by developing materials to support unionization campaigns at the New School and University of Chicago. See our lovely photo below!