Sign the Open Letter to Urge TC to Respect Democracy. Let Us Vote!
We, the undersigned student workers at Teachers College, urge you to respect our democratic right to vote on forming our union. We urge you to:
- Agree to a free and fair election process for voting on UAW representation, overseen by a private, neutral third-party such as the American Arbitration Association;
- commit to not attempt to influence student workers to vote yes or no;
- and immediately commence bargaining in good faith for a contract upon certification of a majority vote of student workers for UAW representation.
Despite the broad support for the right to vote on a union across nearly every department and program, and despite the fact that peer institutions such as NYU, Georgetown, and Brown have agreed to the process outlined above, you have chosen to hide behind the Trump administration to try to stop us from exercising our basic democratic right to vote on union representation.
Not only is your decision out of step with national precedent; it is also inconsistent with TC’s stated commitment to “Institutionalize a Culture That Supports Our Community.” Student workers are essential to TC’s teaching, research, and service, and yet we lack basic protections that collective bargaining could secure: due process, fair and predictable pay, access to healthcare, and stronger support for our well-being. Agreeing to a fair voting process would affirm that TC values our contributions and respects the democratic principles it claims to champion.
We therefore ask you to commit to a fair and neutral process that allows student workers to vote on whether to form our union. Anything less is a denial of democracy at an institution that defines itself by its commitment to equity, justice, and human flourishing.