The union for academic student workers, SENS-UAW Local 7902, asked The New School community to strike in solidarity with them, and while non-academic workers in in the New Student Workers Union will be striking with them, for others, halting academic work is not an option.
Since the strike officially began at 8 a.m. today, some faculty members have canceled classes or resorted to off-campus locations to hold classes. But the decision to cancel a class depends on the faculty’s title.
ACT-UAW Local 7902 “No strike, No lockout”
On Nov. 16, 2022, the part-time faculty (PTF) union ACT-UAW Local 7902 went on strike, citing unfair labor practices by The New School. After 25 days of striking, TNS and PTF reached an agreement on Dec. 10, 2022 with only a few days left in the fall semester.
As the Collective Bargaining Agreement was finalized, PTF agreed on one major article, Article XXVII, also known as the “No Strike, No Lockout” clause. It states that PTF will not strike on any grounds until 2027, when the union can officially renegotiate its contract.
The language of Article XXVII — “No Strike, No Lockout” reads:
“The Union agrees that it will not, nor will it permit any member of the bargaining unit to, call, instigate, engage or participate in or encourage or sanction any strike, sympathy strike, sit-down, slow-down or stoppage of work. Any employee engaging in any conduct prohibited by this Article is subject to disciplinary action, including discharge.”
Part-time New School Professor Christen Clifford said, “I feel terrible about not being able to withhold labor, especially since the student workers went on strike with us in 2022.”
She added, “I held my class off campus this morning, and we talked about the strike, and I shared what I learned in strike school on Monday.”
PTF members have the option to move their classes to Zoom or off campus for the duration of the SENS strike.
A similar no-strike clause was proposed for the SENS contract currently being negotiated. The union and the university’s bargaining team have not reached an agreement yet.
Non-union faculty members
Full-time and non-union faculty members receive individualized contracts, meaning they are still eligible to strike. Whether or not they will halt their work and classes is up to their discretion.
During the ACT-UAW strike, former university president Dwight McBride emailed the TNS community on Dec. 6, 2022, stating that any employees who did not attend work would not receive benefits.
The email said, “We have made the difficult decision to stop paying wages and premiums for healthcare benefits for employees who are striking.”
“We must use our resources carefully to ensure that our students’ academic needs are met. We have been extremely reluctant to take this action and we understand that it will cause frustration in the community,” the statement added.
It is unclear whether or not a similar halt of pay for workers will occur for the SENS strike. The Free Press has reached out to the university for clarification on whether payroll will be suspended for the duration of the strike.
Students must contact their professors for more information on class schedules and protocols for continuing work.
Additional reporting by Olivia Young