Clark University student workers strike, as they attempt to form a union
Photo | Eric Casey
Clark University undergraduate workers and supporters picketed outside the main entrance to campus for the 2nd consecutive day on Friday.
Student workers at Clark University are on strike, as at least eight Worcester elected officials have shown support for their efforts to have the university sign a neutrality card check agreement giving the workers the ability to form a union.
Undergraduate workers at the university have been on strike since Thursday, with about two dozen student workers and supporters picketing outside the main entrance to the school on Friday morning.
Eli Gillen, a business agent with Worcester-based Teamsters Local 170, said workers are attempting to unionize due to being underpaid and a lack of guaranteed hours.
“Clark is taking advantage of the situation,” Gillen said. “Some of [the workers] aren’t even being paid minimum wage. They minimize the pay, and they minimize the hours.”
The school said it is not anti-union, but it believes undergraduate students at Clark are first and foremost students; and there are other channels for student workers to engage with the university regarding their work experiences, according to a document shared with WBJ outlining Clark’s view on the unionization efforts.
The document said workers are paid an hourly wage of $15, with the exception of resident advisors and peer mentors. Residential advisors are compensated with housing and meals, while peer mentors receive an educational stipend of $1,500.
“We respect our students and promote their right to express their views. Clark is committed to fostering an environment where every student feels valued and supported,” a statement from Clark University reads. “This is an important part of who we are as a university and consistent with our mission. While we may disagree on the issue of undergraduate student unionization, we deeply appreciate all of the important contributions our students make to our campus community.”
Efforts to unionize began last year, with organizers originally attempting to have their efforts recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.
Gillen said the attorney hired by Clark has expressed a desire to challenge the 2016 NLRB decision involving Columbia University, where the board voted 3-1 in favor of ruling graduate students working as teaching or research assistants at private universities are employees.
Organizers changed course following the change in the federal political climate following the election of President Donald Trump, instead pivoting from attempting to obtain NLRB recognition to the neutrality card check agreement approach, which would involve a neutral third party checking to see if a majority of undergraduate workers have agreed to a unionization vote.
The student worker’s efforts have received support from at least eight members of the Worcester City Council. Councilors Etel Haxhiaj, Thu Nguyen, and Khrystian King joined striking workers on the picket line Friday morning.
King and Nguyen, along with Councilors George Russell, Kathleen Toomey, Jenny Pacillo, Candy Mero-Carlson, and Mayor Joseph Petty, signed a letter on Thursday urging Clark University President David Fithian to sign the neutrality agreement.
“This is deeply disappointing to learn that Clark University is shrinking from its commitment to social justice and workers rights,” the letter reads. “[We] strongly urge you to sign a neutrality card check agreement with the undergraduate workers and Teamsters Local 170.”
Gillen said the strike is having an impact on operations at the university, with the library closing early on Thursday because of a lack of staff. He expects events and tours this weekend will also be impacted if an agreement isn’t reached.
“We’re going to continue to put pressure on [Clark],” Gillen said. “We’d like for Clark to reach out to us today, and they’ll be back to work in five minutes.”
The strike comes three years after graduate workers at Clark went on to the picket lines to seek better wages and health care.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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