A correction to this story was issued at 3:19 p.m. on March 7.
The union for academic student workers, SENS-UAW Local 7902, went on strike at 8 a.m. on March 6, 2024. Here’s what we know.
March 8
10:00 a.m. — Today’s bargaining session between SENS and the university has begun.
12:00 p.m. — Picketing began outside the University Center.
1:45 p.m. — Around 60 picketers are now outside the University Center, drumming and chanting, “My neck, my back, we want a fair contract!”
3:50 p.m. — The SENS and university bargaining committees have verbally agreed to the terms of a contract. The union has agreed to call off the strike today. As of now, the union is awaiting a printout of a tentative agreement from the university, which they will sign to formally ratify the verbal agreement today.
4:20 p.m. — The bargaining committees officially signed a tentative agreement.
4:55 p.m. — Picketers celebrate outside of the University Center with live music and cheering.
March 7
11:30 a.m. – Today’s bargaining session between SENS and the university has begun.
12:05 p.m. – A group of nearly 20 picketers have gathered outside the University Center. They have begun drumming and chanting “Get up, get down, New York is a union town.”
12:30 p.m. – Two NYPD Community Affairs officers have arrived at the picket line. The officers were responding to a call from their sergeant.
12:37 p.m. – Picketers have started chanting, “Can the police stop us? No!”
1:43 p.m. – Around 60 picketers are currently outside the UC.
3:45 p.m. – Bargaining has officially ended. Another session is scheduled for tomorrow.
The line of picketers outside the UC has stretched to the entrance of Kerrey Hall.
5:03 p.m. – The picket line officially disbanded. SENS union leadership invited workers to their membership meeting at 6 E. 16th St.
March 6
8:00 a.m. — Student academic workers are officially on strike. Picketing will begin at 12 p.m. outside the University Center at 63 Fifth Ave.
SENS met with the university’s bargaining team yesterday at 10:30 a.m. Negotiations lasted until 5:00 a.m. this morning. On their Instagram story, SENS said there was significant movement in bargaining, but the “university failed to cross the finish line with healthcare and wages.”
12:00 p.m. — The first picketers arrived at the University Center. Around 30 people: students, faculty, staff, and student workers carrying homemade and UAW signs have begun to walk the line.
12:30 p.m. — More than a hundred picketers have joined the picket line to show their support for SENS. Metal barricades have been placed in front of the entrance of the UC. A table was set up beside the picket line for sign making. Picketers began handing out UAW branded ponchos as the weather turned to a slight drizzle.
2:00 p.m. — Two picketers chanted “Union busting is disgusting!” into megaphones as they led a crowd of nearly 40 picketers away from the UC and toward Arnold Hall at 55 W 13th St.
2:10 p.m. — A crowd gathered outside Arnhold Hall to protest an event hosted by Hillel at The New School featuring guest speaker, Israeli Defense Forces Lieutenant Roei from the IDF Terrorism Unit, alongside his sister Noa, to share their experiences in Israel on and after October 7, 2023.
2:35 p.m. — Hundreds of picketers moved from outside the UC to join the crowd at Arnhold Hall. While the crowd continued to move in the picket formation, both picketers and protestors chanted “Free, free, free Palestine!” and “There is only one solution, intifada revolution!”
3:00 p.m. — Outside the main entrance to Arnhold Hall, a member of the crowd yelled “Shame!” towards people entering the building. After an altercation that initially appeared primarily verbal, a man pushed one of the protesters to the ground. The crowd reacted by running towards the man and grabbing onto his backpack while he shoved them off. A protester in a red keffiyeh ran towards the crowd yelling at them to stop, while the man continued to enter the building. It is unclear at this time whether the man is a TNS staff or faculty member.
3:06 p.m. — Two New York Police Department officers showed up at Arnold Hall. One of them entered the building.
3:11 p.m. — On the 9th floor of Arnhold Hall, in front of the Equipment Center, two uniformed New York Police Department officers and one Community Affairs officer were witnessed. They were allegedly responding to a 911 call.
3:19 p.m. — NYPD officers seen leaving the building.
3:20 p.m. — There was a brief police presence outside Arnhold Hall. Two New York Police Department officers were seen driving away in their police van, which was parked outside the building.
3:48 p.m. — Protesters left the room on the 9th floor where the Hillel group was supposed to be meeting. The group walked down to the 7th floor where the Hillel group had relocated. They were met with two individuals who stood outside of the door to make sure no one else entered.
3:54 p.m. — A protester held a piece of paper against the window of the room in which the Hillel meeting was happening, which read “How many have you killed?”, before throwing it into the room when the door opened to let someone out.
3:55 p.m. — A large group of picketers from Arnhold Hall moved back to the UC to join the crowd there. Roughly 40 picketers are currently outside the UC.
Several New School departments expressed their solidarity with SENS including the faculty of the philosophy department, the department of economics, and NSSR. They have all pledged to not cross the picket line, according to the SENS Instagram.
3:56 p.m. — Mary R. Watson, the Executive Dean of The Schools of Public Engagement, came into the hallway from inside the Hillel event and spoke to a full-time faculty member about not letting anymore people into the event due to “fire hazard” reasons.
4:01 p.m. — Protester yelled “Mic Check” and announced to the crowd outside Arnhold Hall that Executive Dean Richard Kessler was hosting Hillel and the Israel Defense Forces Lieutenant Roei in their office.
4:04 p.m.— Protesters knocked on the door and window of the room in which the Hillel event was happening.
4:08 p.m. — Protesters ask Thomas Whalen, Assistant Vice President for Facilities, who was standing outside of the door, why they were not allowed to enter. Whalen said that the room was at full occupancy. Protesters responded by claiming that full occupancy was a fire hazard, and asked for the door to be opened so that they could hear what was being said inside.
4:16 p.m. – Protester exclaims towards an individual at the door on the 7th floor, “Does it matter to you if he killed or not … Does it matter to anyone here? It matters to some of us.” Protesters cheered in support. “Why do we bring military to school?” another protester asked. The individual at the door responded, “He’s a survivor of a massacre.” Protesters began chanting “Free Palestine!”
4:20 p.m. – Andrade Fearon, TNS’s Director of Student Leadership and Involvement, told the group that they were in violation of the university’s protesting policy, as they were “standing in an egress space” and “chanting in an academic space.” A protestor responded, “It’s a violation of my moral being that a murderer is inside.”
4:30 p.m. — Protesters outside of Arnhold Hall announce that the IDF Lieutenant is coming down to leave the building, and ask protesters to form lines in front of the door. Protesters began chanting, “Killer, killer, come outside!”
4:35 p.m.– Inside of Arnhold Hall, those inside the room began walking out. They were met with chants and exclamations of “Shame.”
4:39 p.m. — Protesters noticed the side door opening on the left of the Arnhold Hall building and began to run towards it, believing that the IDF Lieutenant was leaving from that exit. The door was immediately shut, one protester attempted to open it but then realized it was locked.
4:45 p.m. — The group of protesters split into two groups, one at the main entrance and one at the side door.
4:47 p.m. — A protester announced that the Lieutenant and Hillel members have left the building, “In small groups, from multiple exits,” and stated they can now disperse.
Picketers officially disbanded around 4:45 p.m.
A previous version of this article implied the nature of the protest to only include members of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Anonymous sources have confirmed that SJP was not involved in organizing the protest and the time stamps [3:48 p.m., 4:04 p.m.] have been updated to reflect more comprehensive reporting.