Grinnell College and the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) will return to the bargaining table on Thursday, Sept. 25. The bargaining comes after the College changed compensation for some student workers, a move the Union opposes.
The bargaining will begin at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live on Webex. Access to the stream requires a Grinnell College login. A recorded version of the bargaining will be posted later on the Grinnell collective bargaining website.
The compensation changes in dispute include the College ending complimentary room and board for Reunion and other short-term summer student workers and ending shift meals for dining services employees and student tour guides.
Co-UGSDW President Morgan Smith `26, in an interview with The S&B, said it is the union’s hope that the College bargains in good faith.
“I don’t want to make judgments either way because the College has bargained in good faith with us before,” said Smith.
Ellen de Graffenreid, vice president of communications and marketing, wrote in an email to The S&B that “the College is happy to bargain.”
UGSDW will hold a rally at 7 p.m. in Kington Plaza after the bargaining is finished. The Union has asked rallygoers to bring flashlights.
Smith explained in an email that the purpose of the rally is for student workers to stand together. “We view bargaining and the rally as complimentary opportunities to give a voice to student workers and show the power of collective action,” they wrote.
