Earlier this week, SENS—Student Employees at The New School—went on strike following several months of failed collective bargaining and working off-contract with The New School. Today, it seems they've come away with a very successful tentative agreement because of that strike action!
The New School, for the unaware, is a private university which describes itself as a place for "scholars, artists, and designers [to] come together to challenge convention and create positive change." Although it has historically been an avenue for progressive causes and activism, The New School has, to put it mildly, struggled to live up to that vision on campus. When it comes to collective bargaining, they have a poor track record. This is actually SENS' second strike since forming: they previously went on strike in 2018 to win an initial bargaining agreement with the university. The New School is also currently fighting New Student Workers Union—which is attempting to form the first wall-to-wall graduate and undergraduate student worker union—at the NLRB.
All this to say: bargaining with The New School is like pulling teeth. But SENS has been undeterred in fighting their university and when the university refused to budge, began a strike action on March 6. Three days later on March 8, the university came to a tentative agreement with SENS and yesterday SENS began touting what looks like a pretty solid tentative agreement. According to them, they've won:
- Raises between 24% and 31% for all academic student workers
- Tuition waivers for all PhDs and for Teaching Fellows in each semester worked
- An end to the maintenance status fee for PhDs
- A new childcare fund for everyone at The New School
- The development of a new housing guarantor program for international student workers
- A new legal assistance fund for international student workers
- Codification of free reproductive care services
- Upfront healthcare discounts (instead of semesters-late rebates) at 80% healthcare discount for all graduate student workers and original 50% and 65% tiers for undergraduate ASWs
- $25,000 year healthcare fund per academic year from which members can apply for up to 60% reimbursement of dependent coverage premiums
- $1,500 course development bonuses for Teaching Fellows creating new syllabi
- 50% pay for training
- $750 ratification bonus
- and, getting ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) off campus...
...among other things. If ratified, the agreement will last for the next three years, and it seems probable that ratification will occur.