“Our necks, our backs, we need a fair contract!” 

NewSWU organizers, the group working to unionize non-academic student workers at The New School, chanted as they circled in front of the University Center yesterday afternoon.

Union organizers held this Petition Pavement Party rally to garner support and signatures for their new petition, released last week. It asks that the university not object to an upcoming decision from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on their eligibility to hold a union election. 

“We had such an incredible showing of people [at the rally]. Students who hadn’t heard of NewSWU before, people who always show up…It was just a really strong showing of the community and solidarity that we have on campus. It was exactly what we were trying to achieve,” Rob Noble, a NewSWU organizer, said.

This petition and rally follow a hearing NewSWU recently had with the National Labor Relations Board that concluded earlier in September. The group is currently waiting on the result of that hearing.

The result will decide whether non-academic student workers can hold an election to unionize with the university’s academic student workers, currently represented by SENS under the ACT-UAW Local 7902 union. Local 7902 also represents part-time faculty and Student Health Services employees at the university.

 “One outcome [of that hearing] could be that the National Labor Relations Board approves [NewSWU’s] right to have a union election,” Noble said. “The university could appeal that [decision] and might try and obstruct that right [to an election].”

In a statement provided to The New School Free Press, the university said that they “are aware of the rally and petition by members of the New Student Workers Union (NewSWU) and support the right of our students to voice their opinions and demonstrate solidarity.” However, Noble said NewSWU organizers felt they had faced a great deal of obstruction from the university in their unionization process.  

“The New School could have, at the beginning of this process, recognized the [NewSWU] union, straight out of the gate. We wouldn’t have had to do the National Labor Relations Board Hearing. They could have been cooperative from the beginning, but chose not to be,” he said. “That’s why we think the petition is necessary to show the support we have from the broader New School community.”

Organizers hope to have an open conversation with Interim President Donna Shalala about the current situation when they hand-deliver the petition to her in the coming days. 

The petition, which continues to accept new signees, had 504 signatures at publication time. 

Editor’s note: Rob Noble has written music reviews for The New School Free Press in past semesters.