Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Kenyon Student Worker Organizing Committee (K-SWOC)?

The Kenyon Student Worker Organizing Committee (K-SWOC) is a student worker-led effort to unionize Kenyon College student workers. Since April 2020, K-SWOC has worked with students across campus workplaces to identify the needs of student workers at Kenyon. Sign up here! 

What is a union? 

A labor union is an organization of workers within the same, or a comparable, work environment. It is formed with the intent of collective power being an advantage to the workers in a number of ways, including, but not limited to, salary/wage negotiations, workplace disputes, availability of sick leave, etc.

Labor law guarantees workers can negotiate as equals with their employers if they are in a union, but it is up to the workers (i.e., us as student workers) to determine how powerful and democratic their union is.

Why are Kenyon Student Workers seeking unionization?

There is no concise answer to this question. Specific issues vary by shop, but many student workers have organized around the idea of attaining a fair grievance procedure, fair wages, shared decision making on a large scale, and consistent policies across workplaces. 

Instead of relying on efforts of self-advocacy on an individual basis, a union would provide a consistent structure ensuring the rights of all student workers are upheld, as well as giving them a democratic, student-led platform to improve their workplaces for everyone.

Have other private colleges had student worker unions at the undergraduate level?

Yes, the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGDSW), the UChicago Student Library Employee Union (SLEU), and the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s residential advisors (RAPMU) belong to their respective unions. All three have successfully increased wages and improved work conditions. 

Would Kenyon Student Workers form their own union or join another union on campus?

K-SWOC aims to form a separate local of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE), which would allow for the student worker union to have independent finances, leadership, and contracts. The UE favors union democracy and autonomous locals, which is one of the many reasons they are a good fit for K-SWOC.

What would it mean for student workers to be unionized?

A student union represents all student workers by advocating for student wages and benefits during contract negotiations mutually agreed upon by employees and employers. The union would operate independently of Kenyon College, as it would be run by its membership.

Within each shop, stewards would be elected to represent and defend the rights of their coworkers, while also coordinating with the larger union body. The stewards ensure that the employer―Kenyon―upholds their end of the collective bargaining agreement, and are therefore on the frontline of investigating any grievances and issues reported by their fellow student workers.

What is a “shop”?

A shop refers to a set of workers with similar or comparable job titles, i.e. LBIS workers.

Will there be union dues in a student worker union?

K-SWOC members will decide democratically on the most equitable dues structure for all members. K-SWOC will take into special consideration the most financially precarious members in discussion on dues structure; alumni have also committed to fund a contingency dues account. Likewise, only the members can decide a rate for dues as well as their use. 

Can I lose my job by engaging in or supporting K-SWOC efforts towards unionization?

Under the National Labor Relations Act, private sector employees are guaranteed the right to organize, and no action can be taken by an employer against their employees in response to unionization efforts. More information can be found on the website of the National Labor Relations Board.

Can international students join a student worker union? If so, will they lose their visa? 

All student employees, regardless of their immigration status, have the federally-protected rights to engage in activity with their co-workers concerning their working conditions, form a union, and collectively bargain with their universities. It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against any student employees for exercising their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cannot ask questions about union membership or participation in lawful union activity. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognized the importance of enforcing labor laws and signed an agreement with the Department of Labor (DOL) that states it is essential to ensure proper wages and working conditions for all covered workers regardless of immigration status. More answers to questions specific to the experiences of international students can be found here.

What is a ULP(Unfair Labor Practice)?

An Unfair Labor Practice(ULP) is any action that violates the rights of a worker as set out in section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). These include, but are not limited, to things such as threatening workers because they in any way associate with a union or engage in organizing activities, spying or photographing workers engaged in union activities, or coercively questioning employees about any such activity.

What is the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE)?

The UE is an independent union representing some 35,000 workers across a wide variety of workplaces, including the skilled trades maintenance workers at Kenyon (local 712). It strongly emphasizes democracy as the essential structure of unions and therefore encourages autonomous, worker-led locals. In the bargaining and enforcement of contracts, the UE will be able to provide valuable assistance and expertise.

Union Dues: Frequently Asked Questions

What are union dues? 

Union dues are regular payments (either a fixed cost or a percentage of the paycheck) that members make to their unions to cover the costs of maintaining the union. 

Why pay dues (practical reasons)?

Dues are not designed to allow the union to compete with the employer financially (the employer will always have more money than us). They are meant to cover the bare minimum to keep the union intact and well-run; our real power will always come from the collective participation and action of our members. The institutional support that dues can provide varies. If we affiliate with a national union, our dues, just like the dues of our fellow union members around the country, will go partly to covering the salaries and benefits of staffers who can assist us in bargaining, organizing, and navigating legal challenges. Most commonly, dues allow us to pay for routine legal fees. Having a minimum amount of money in our union local’s bank account will allow us to enter what is called binding arbitration (where the costs are split between the employers and the union), which can allow us to enforce our contract more effectively. Alternatively, the money we control in our account can be converted to a strike fund that can dispense pay to partially or completely cover lost wages during a strike, which is another tool to enforce our contract. 

Why pay dues (philosophical reasons)? 

In short, union dues enable our organization to have independence, democracy, and power. The history of social change writ large and the challenges students face trying to affect change at Kenyon have proven this maxim consistently: no one will pay us to fight for our own liberation. Pressure through registered student organizations or using institutions like Campus Senate where the administration always has the last word usually achieves superficial short-term changes at best and fails to change anything at worst. Forming a union is the only way to give student workers the ability to sit across the table from Kenyon administration as equals. Paying a very small amount of our wages as dues enables our union to operate solely on the resources of our fellow workers, making it accountable to its members alone. 

Why should all members of the union pay dues? 

In order to secure a high degree of internal democracy within our union, it is important that every member pays dues and, ideally, every member pays the same dues rate. In this way, every member has the same ownership stake in the union and can credibly claim a voice in how the union is run and what decisions the union makes. A core principle of our union is that all workers are equal—no matter your pay rate, title, or qualifications. Every worker who pays dues deserves an equal voice in the union. Allowing some members who benefit from union representation to opt out from paying dues is antithetical to union democracy. 

Who decides the dues structure and expenditures? 

The members of our union will decide democratically on the most equitable dues structure (fixed cost vs. rate; how much to charge in dues) for all members. As noted in the K-SWOC mission statement, we commit to take into special consideration the most financially precarious members of our membership in discussion and decisions on dues structure. Likewise, only the members will decide how our union local’s resources will be used.

Transparency in dues expenditures

The financial reports and expenditures of any national union or union local is public information and can be found at this Department of Labor website: https://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getOrgQry.do. For example, you can see the financial reports of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) national union using file number 000-058 and UE Local 712 (one of Kenyon’s maintenance unions) at 519-014.