Frequently Asked Questions

Why have we pivoted away from the traditional legal pathway to unionize?

Berea College’s administration opposed our effort to win a legally recognized union. Their lawyers made legal arguments that went against established precedent, including that student workers should not be allowed to unionize at all and that the government should reevaluate all student workers' right to a union.

We knew that allowing Berea College’s legal arguments to be heard by Trump appointed anti-union judges would have offered Trump’s allies the perfect opportunity to legally invalidate thousands of graduate and undergraduate workers’ unions. With this in mind, we made the difficult decision to withdraw our petition and pursue a different model of unionization.

What is our union’s current model of unionization?

We are building a wall-to-wall direct-join union without seeking recognition through the federal government. This means:

1. We join our union directly through the website without needing to win a union election or legal recognition to become union members.
2. Our union includes faculty and staff who want to organize alongside us to improve our shared working conditions.
3. We organize campaigns to directly improve our working conditions without waiting for the administration to recognize us or bargain with us as legal equals.
4. We build worker power and relationships for the long-term, not just for one or two campaigns.

To sum it up, we are building an independent worker-run organization made up of all of us.

What if I want to, but can’t afford to join right now?

When you can, it’s really important to join and be a full member of your union and have a say in your workplace and your organization. Until then, you should get in touch with an organizer, come out to union events, and start organizing! As someone without a lot of financial resources, you’re actually most impacted by issues that affect all of us and that we want to fight to make better.

1. Is it legal for me to join my union?

Yes! You have Constitutional Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Association protections, which give you the right to join a labor union and organize collectively to seek improvement of the terms and conditions of your employment. Moreover, it is stated explicitly in KRS 336.130, that “Employees may, free from restraint or coercion by the employers or their agents, associate collectively for self-organization and designate collectively representatives of their own choosing to negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment to effectively promote their own rights and general welfare.”

These protections are in effect even if your employer does not recognize your union.

2. Is it legal for me to talk about my union at work?

Yes! Political activities such as picketing, rallies, and leafleting while you’re off the clock are constitutionally protected forms of expression and free association. On the clock, you can talk about your union so long as you’re allowed to talk about other non-work related subjects. If you can talk about books, sports, or current events on the clock, you can invite your coworkers to join the union.

3. Can I get in trouble for joining my union?

Nope! It is illegal for the administration to retaliate against you for exercising your constitutional right to join the union and engage in union activities. We have been organizing our union at Berea since 2022, and, to date, no union members have been fired or retaliated against for organizing. We keep union membership information private and the administration can’t see who signs up. Still, if any of us does face retaliation, we will stand together to fight back and uphold the law. Right now, supervisors and administrators are able to harass us individually. As a union, we can stand up collectively and put a stop to unfair treatment.
 

4. Why do union members pay dues?

Dues are a central part of our strategy to build worker power. Pooling our resources as workers allows us to build a worker-run and self-funded organization with the resources to hire our own organizers, lawyers, researchers, and everything else we need to win change. Dues are $8 for student workers and part-time staff and are on a sliding scale starting at $15 for full-time faculty and staff. Berea College has a lot of money, and they’ve shown they’re willing to use it to scare and confuse workers when we speak up. For us to win the improvements we need to see discrimination, sick leave, and other issues we need to have our own resources. Dues are a collective investment into our future!

5. How will my union work with Berea College’s Administration?

As a democratic worker-run organization, our top priority is always to improve the working conditions of our members. We also know that for workers to have a real voice on the job, we have to come together and form a legally and financially independent organization.

Despite the Berea College Administration’s history of union-busting and anti-worker actions, we are hopeful that we can negotiate with them from a place of strength to improve working conditions at Berea for student workers, staff, and faculty. 

In the long run, we hope the Administration does the right thing, abandons anti-union politics, and voluntarily recognizes our union so that we can begin a long-term positive and mutually beneficial relationship where we all work together to build a better Berea.

6. How will unionizing work under a Trump administration?

We believe all workers have an inalienable right to organize unions and have a say in their working conditions. Inalienable means that we do not recognize any attempt to strip workers of this right as legitimate. 

We believe we as workers are the ones responsible for asserting and maintaining this right by organizing together.

At the end of the day, these rights are backed up by the fact that without workers nothing can get done.

We believe the Trump administration’s threat to the rights of all workers to organize unions and strip all of us of workplace protections