In the most recent chapter of an unprecedented move, student admissions workers at Hamilton College voted on whether to unionize on Friday, Sept. 24. The election was open to Hamilton tour guides and senior admission fellows, who reported to the polls with a turnout rate of 80 percent. A simple majority is needed for the motion to succeed and allow for negotiations to begin, but results will not be available until Oct. 12th. This is the first time in the nation that undergraduate student workers in admissions have sought union recognition. If it passes, it may set a precedent for other students with similar efforts across the country.
This process began over the summer when a few Hamilton student admissions workers started a committee and contacted the local labor union, the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local One. A petition seeking recognition and an election to form a union was then filed by the UFCW on behalf of the Hamilton students to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The students passed the 30 percent threshold the NLRB needed to approve the election, with 50 percent of student admissions workers signing the authorization cards.
Students claim that they all are seeking a working environment where they feel heard and respected, as many admissions workers have complained of a lack of a uniform disciplinary process and low wages. “It was a struggle to get our supervisors to listen to us and take recommendations,” said Izzy Rutkey ’22, campus tour guide and committee organizer. “We realized there were a lot of shared grievances between us, and it was not just us having individually bad experiences[…]we felt we needed to have a collective bargaining unit that would allow us to have a voice.” Other admission workers seem to agree, with Dylan Badillo ’23 saying, “they would never hear our suggestions.” The campus tour guides and senior admission fellows that support the unionization effort feel that their ideas and concerns are not acknowledged by the Hamilton administration, despite the role they play in helping prospective students to come to Hamilton.
The student workers felt as though this lack of respect was most apparent when the in-person tours were resumed after they had been working remotely. “Last semester, [our bosses] told us we were going to resume in-person tours, without asking for our opinion,” said Badillo. “I really did not want to give in-person tours, but I was not getting enough hours and I needed the income.” Student-workers believe having a union would give them a way to voice these grievances without the fear of retaliation. As Rutkey noted, “they won’t be able to just shut us down and they will have to listen to us as employees. It is important for a workplace to have a boss that will listen to us.” Students want to bring up issues such as raising wages and being paid for the entire time they are scheduled, which they feel they cannot do within the current system.
However, not every student involved agrees with this sentiment, and some students expressed doubt with having unions on campus. Some students believe a union is unnecessary and will create needless bureaucracy in the workplace. The union will also require dues that student-workers must pay, something that can cause hesitation among members. Rutkey touched on this, stating, “some people were a little frustrated about having to pay dues, but we would not lose money because the money circulates back to us, we’re putting it into this collective beneficial pot that goes back to us”.
If a majority of the ballots are in favor of a union, the next step would be to decide on a negotiating committee from among the admissions workers. People could nominate themselves or others, which would be followed by a vote. Once the committee is finalized, it will meet with those assigned to the negotiating committee from Hamilton’s Admissions office, alongside a representative from the UFCW Local One. There will be a bargaining stage, which will be ongoing until both sides come to an agreement. Once a deal is struck, it will take effect immediately and members will start paying dues.
Students feel that this election, regardless of whether or not it results in a union, is sure to have an impact on both the school and other undergraduate institutes across the United States. It may open the door to future movements, and it could change undergraduate employment on campuses nationwide.
