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Hundreds of Syracuse University workers and community members gathered on the Einhorn Family Walk Thursday morning to rally for “fair pay and unions for all.”

Clerical staff, maintenance, grounds, dining service, library and graduate workers affiliated with SEIU Local 200United congregated under the new coalition, United Syracuse. The crowd demanded the university create a fair unionization process, emphasizing the need for a process free of intimidation, misinformation and legal delays.

“We are calling on administration to make improvements for every single SU employee to address issues of stagnant and low pay, eroding benefits and poor staff retention,” said speaker Tara Slater, administrative assistant for the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The rally followed Syracuse Graduate Employees United’s ratification of its first contract with the university on Tuesday — an agreement reached after months of negotiations.

Hourly Food Services workers plan to hold an election this semester for union recognition, master’s student Vedant Pimple, who works in the Schine Student Center, announced at the rally.

Hourly graduate student workers have been trying to form their union with SEIU since last year, according to an SEIU press release. Sravani Eldasari, former student supervisor for Brockway Dining Hall, said workers are demanding better wages and improved working conditions. She said their current pay does not reflect the cost of living in Syracuse or equate to the skill of the workers.

Pimple also expressed concerns surrounding the working environment at SU’s dining facilities, citing inadequate equipment and insufficient breaks.

“Our environment should be safe, it should be healthy and it should be conducive to productivity,” Pimple said. “It’s not just a checkbox for (compliance).”

SEIU secretary and food service worker Adema King said workers will fight for better wages, health insurance, job security and safety in the upcoming contract, emphasizing the need to “win big.”

Hundreds of university clerical workers also announced their effort to form unions at the rally. Physics Ph.D. candidate and graduate research assistant Bridget Mack said it was “heartening” to see so many workers who were willing to fight for a union.

“It’s always nice to see solidarity among all the different unions on campus and people that are trying to form unions. Unions aren’t possible without the support of everyone. It’s the best collective action you can take,” Mack said. “Unionization works. You get better pay, you get better health care … and we’re all gonna benefit from each other.”

Library workers are also in the process of unionizing, having concerns about a lack of work-life balance, transportation options for people working late and control over scheduling work hours.

Drew Van Dyke, a student worker at Bird Library, said he loves his job. However, he said that should not stop workers from unionizing.

“Some people think that to join a union, you have to hate your job or your boss, but that’s not necessarily true,” Van Dyke said. “We are joining our colleagues across this campus to build an iron wall of solidarity and collective power.”

Hundreds of community members gather to hear the stories of SU workers and call on the upper administration to create a fair process for all SU employees.

Calysta Lee | Staff Photographer

Members of the faculty also shared their frustrations with their working conditions. Matthew Huber, professor of geography and president of SU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said that, like many of the other on-campus workers, the faculty are “fed up.”

He claimed faculty members had been “let go because of budgetary reasons” despite the fact that they receive “glowing” evaluations. He also said many faculty members feel a lack of security in their positions. Faculty feel that they cannot speak up to higher-ups or “even speak out as citizens,” he said.

Huber referenced a 1980 Supreme Court ruling which excludes tenure-track faculty from the right to unionize at private colleges and universities. Tenured faculty are considered “managerial,” meaning they’re excluded from unionization under the National Labor Relations Act.

“I don’t feel like management, I feel like a worker,” Huber said. “We’re seeing less control over our work.”

Jess Posner, a part-time instructor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said she no longer qualifies for benefits after getting a second job because she couldn’t live on what SU was paying her. She added that online instructors have seen “no protections at all” and some have not received a salary increase “in years.”

Odette Marie Rodriguez, the assistant director of the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement, said that she hopes the university will continue to “do the right thing,” ensuring a fair process for union elections and bring fair representation for the bargaining process, she said.

“I’m confident that the kind of relationship with the university will continue to grow and be positive,” she said.

Managing Editor Kyle Chouinard contributed reporting to this article.

Published on March 28, 2024 at 9:07 pm

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu