Opinion: Unionization efforts on campus are entering a new age of ambition and strength at the same time a national worker’s rights and union boom is taking place.
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On Sept. 28, according to sources within the ASUO, ASUO gave UO Student Workers $13,000, which they plan to use to further their goals of spurring student workers all across campus to unionize. This grant will be used to fund materials like shirts, stickers and posters. This follows the path of a massive uptick in unionizing efforts all around the country, especially among service workers and others who struggle to make a living wage.
According to an Aug. 2022 Gallup poll, 71% of Americans now support unions, the highest level since 1965. People across the country are ready for change as the country tackles high inflation and a stagnant economy and job market.
College students are one of the most financially strapped demographics, and the jobs available to them — mostly minimum wage — don’t do enough to alleviate this. On the UO campus, the positions available often come with meager pay, especially in the case of dining hall jobs. These are also particularly stressful work environments.
Other colleges, such as Kenyon, Grenell and Dartmouth, having newly formed undergraduate student unions also helped ignite a movement at UO. Students across campus are coming together to improve their conditions at the same time that workers all over the U.S. are casting winning union votes and striking. There have been more than 280 strikes in the U.S. so far in 2022 alone, according to Forbes. Since we are now in the month of “Striketober,” this number will inevitably continue to rise.
Noah Thompson, a leading organizer in UO Student Workers, told me about how UOSW is currently gearing up for their Campaign Kickoff on Oct. 20 in the EMU Amphitheater. They are going to rally student support, have union card signings and host representatives from other on-campus unions.
“We want to have a wall-to-wall undergraduate student worker’s union,” Thompson said.
One of the main focus points of unionizing is in the dining halls. Many students choose to work there as it is convenient and easy to get hired on, but there are also numerous drawbacks.
“The dining halls are centrally organized and have the worst conditions,” Thompson said. “Students are hired on at minimum wage. There is no justifiable way you can math out student jobs and paying your bills.”
On top of that, students are limited to a certain number of hours working there. Many are playing a game of fruitless catch up while trying to stay on top of their living costs.
“UO makes the promise to students that they can be students first and still succeed in the workplace,” Thompson said. “We want them to actually fulfill that.”
Thompson is also aware of what UOSW are up against, saying they will be “competing directly with the administration and the University of Nike.” However, they know that much of the student body supports them. ASUO’s direct monetary support, for example, means a lot to UOSW.
“It’s one of the best things to use their [ASUO] funding for; it’s funding from students given back to them,” Thompson said.
With an ambitious set of goals, the organization is surging forward into the new school year. They hope to see comprehensive change across campus and to bring in an entirely new level of support and engagement. All UO students, regardless if they work at an on-campus job or not, should watch UOSW closely. The more gains they make, the better the university system will work for everyone.
