Report back from our union Social!

Fellow student workers,

Last week, we had our union social with United Campus Workers of Kentucky-CWA! It was inspiring to meet so many dedicated faculty, staff, and student workers from Berea, EKU, and UK who are organizing together to win change. Here at Berea, we talk a lot about what makes us different from other colleges. Although we pride ourselves in our unique mission, we often get stuck in the Berea Bubble. That’s why it’s so important for us to connect with higher-ed workers outside of Berea! Talking with UCW-KY members, it was clear we all experience similar issues and know that standing in solidarity as workers is what creates lasting change.

Kayla Eicholtz, an Organizing Committee member at Berea, a non-traditional student, and an Art TA, kicked off the social with a few words:

“I joined this campaign recently, but it is so exciting to be a part of what is, in many ways, the next generation of organized labor. We’re all learning essential skills by unionizing for better conditions that will be applicable long after graduation and that are paving the way for better conditions for the coworkers coming up behind us. While I am not quite acquainted with the formal ins and outs of the technical processes of organizing just yet, there’s been a level of enthusiasm and persistence that is motivating to me as someone who’s had to persist for the past several years through really unpleasant jobs where organizing just didn’t feel possible. It is incredible to be involved in a campaign focused on making something happen that so many people wouldn’t think was possible: to stand up for ourselves as workers, something I once thought could never happen in a million years.”

In other news…

Have you updated your summer mailing address? If we have a mail-in election over the Summer, you’ll need to make sure the college has your current mailing address on record to ensure you receive your ballot from the National Labor Relations Board/NLRB! You can update your address here.

CWA’s TikTok account posted an update about our campaign made by our incredible fellow Organizing Committee member, Iris. Great job Iris! ♥️

We don’t have any updates from the National Labor Relations Board, other than that briefs were submitted Monday 6/3/24. We’ll share any other updates as soon as we get them.

Union Fact of the Week:

Undergrad labor unions are picking up steam: In 2023, undergraduate student workers nationwide won 11 unions, representing almost 2,000 workers! An additional 8 campaigns representing over 23,000 undergrad student workers filed for union elections in 2023. As of today, five of those campaigns have held elections with strong majorities in favor of unionizing. That adds about 21,000 more undergrads with recognized unions! Link to the newsletter with the report (scroll down to “2023 Year in Review”).

In solidarity,

Rhea Clayton ‘26, People Who Care Program Manager, CELTS

Hayden Roberts ‘25, Communications Analyst, Admissions