As the academic year nears its end, Rising Occidental Student Employees (ROSE) is working to unionize student workers on campus. As of March 25, ROSE has held a launch event and a separate rally that led students to the upper level of the Arthur G. Coons (AGC) Administration building where ROSE called for President Harry J. Elam to voluntarily recognize the union by March 26 at 11 a.m.
The Launch
March 20, ROSE held a launch event on the AGC steps in collaboration with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 721 of LA. ROSE members passed out pins, flyers and posters before making speeches encouraging student workers to fill out a Union Authorization Card. Reporters from Telemundo/NBC4, LADaily and ABC7 were in attendance along with over 150 students.
According to ROSE member Noah Weitzner (junior), student workers are forming a union to combine the power of individual student workers to level the playing field when in discussions with the administration.
“The goal is to, rather than beg divided, bargain united,” Weitzner said, echoing their chant.
Weitzner said that the benefits the union would bargain for include raising the earnings cap, increasing base rate pay and instituting raises.
According to the Student Employment Guidelines for the 2023-2034 academic year, students can work for up to 10 hours a week, earning the LA minimum wage requirement of $16.78 per hour and cannot exceed the earnings cap of $5,000.
ROSE member Siena Cawrse* (first year) said that student workers in a union would decide democratically on the benefits that would be bargained for.
“At other colleges, people have won increased pay, new contracts for [Resident Assistants (RAs)]. They’ve also won tuition freezes, so those are some changes that we could make, but it’s really up to student workers to decide,” Cawrse said.
March 2023, RAs at Boston University voted to unionize, and in Feb. 2024, 7,050 student assistants in the Cal State University system voted yes to form a union out of the 7,252 students who voted.
Weitzner said that ROSE has affiliated with SEIU 721, and if student workers unionize, the union would be joining other members of SEIU 721, including the non-tenured track (NTT) professors and the clerical staff of the college.
“[SEIU] is already on campus, they’re already familiar with Oxy, and they were ready and willing to affiliate with us,” Cawrse said.
In a statement to The Occidental, the president and executive director of SEIU 721, David Green, acknowledged their support of ROSE.
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen many employees on college campuses join SEIU Local 721 to demand better working conditions. As a unionized adjunct instructor in the CSU system for more than 10 years, I know that the wave of unionization hitting college campuses will only continue to swell as instructors, staff and students recognize the benefits of unionizing. We will continue to support their ongoing organizing efforts,” Green said in the statement.
According to Weitzner, there are two paths to form a union, the first being a union election. For a union election to occur, 30 percent of the body of student workers (the bargaining unit) needs to have signed union authorization cards. Weitzner said that this amount has already been reached, meaning that ROSE can file for a union election any day, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) would certify the union if the majority of student workers voted in favor.
“The other path, which is easier for all sides, is called voluntary recognition,” Weitzner said.
Under voluntary recognition, the college administration would recognize the union once a majority of student workers have signed union authorization cards, without the need for an election.
“We want to make sure that this is done with the utmost respect for other students who are not involved yet or don’t want to become involved and with the utmost respect for non-student staff, and frankly, of the administration, because we’ve done the work to get ourselves together to talk with them,” Weitzner said.
According to Weitzner, this effort has been ongoing for over a year, but ROSE as an organization started its work in Fall 2023.
As a member of the clerical staff, Mullin Studio Manager Chris Warinofsky made a speech at the launch in support of ROSE.
“There’s so many different ways to maim yourself, and we have an excellent track record because of my student workers, and they deserve to be commended. They deserve better pay, they deserve better treatment and if they air their grievances and I am part of those grievances, fine, but hopefully not,” Warinofsky said. “I like to think that I’m a good boss, but I believe that I could be a better boss when you guys have your union in place.”
ROSE member speaker Olivia Plumb (sophomore) said she considers her on-campus jobs to be opportunities to contribute to the education of her peers.
“You don’t have to hate your job to form a union,” Plumb said. “I love my jobs and I could not imagine my Oxy experience without them.”
The Rally
March 22, ROSE held a rally on the AGC steps in which, following speeches, over 60 students marched twice around the Academic Quad chanting, “We are the union. The mighty, mighty union,” and, “If we don’t get it, shut it down.” The marching culminated in over 90 people entering the AGC and listening to additional speeches that called out the college and Elam.
ROSE member and rally speaker, Nicholas Solimene (senior), said he is a barista for the Green Bean and an Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) senator.
“I have, and I know many other ASOC members have, worked many unpaid hours for this school in hopes of making this campus better and this community stronger,” Solimene said.
Solimene said that he will have graduated by the time the potential union could win its first contract.
“Having a union doesn’t automatically mean these problems will cease to occur,” Solimene said. “What it does mean however, is that when these problems come up, we all know about them and are able to show up for one another and demand that the administration takes us seriously.”
Crystal Stylc (sophomore) and Sunari Weaver-Anderson (senior) spoke next. Stylc identified herself as an RA and said she is fully financially independent and funding her Occidental education.
“Crystal and I, along with many of you, were here on Wednesday,” Weaver-Anderson said. “We’re going to be here for as many days as we need to be in order to fight for our right not just to survive, but to thrive here at Oxy.”
Once inside the upper level of the AGC building, Weitzner thanked Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, the LA Federation of Labor, the LA chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, Ysabel Jurado’s campaign and Unite Here Local 11 for showing support at the rally.
Towards the end of the rally, Emma Galbraith (senior) and Solimene read aloud the letter from ROSE addressed to Elam. According to Weitzner, a representative from Elam’s office was in attendance.
“We are Occidental College student workers. We are hundreds strong. We are vital. We make Occidental College run. We are tired of low wages. We are tired of the cap on our hours. We are tired of job insecurity. We will no longer tolerate dismissiveness or disrespect from management over concerns about our working conditions. We need more consistent hours, improved job security and a meaningful voice in our work. We want a union. With student workers already showing overwhelming support, we demand that Occidental College President Harry J. Elam Jr. sign this pledge to voluntarily agree to recognize our union through a card check process,” Galbraith and Solimene said.
In a March 22 Instagram post after the rally, ROSE said, “Hours ago we demanded that the college recognize our union. If we are not recognized by Tuesday morning, we are prepared to continue demonstrations and take action.”
Before the rally, The Office of Marketing and Communications responded to the newsroom via email with a statement from the college. The administration said they encourage students to have an active voice in their working conditions through engagement with supervisors and coworkers.
“Occidental College’s commitment to its students extends well beyond traditional education through instruction, often to include enriching employment opportunities. Students are able to participate in several dozen positions throughout the College, including those that engage their academic interests, enable participation in student government, and develop necessary skills for future employment,” the statement said.
According to the college’s statement, students are offered competitive compensation and appropriate benefits.
“Although the College has not heard directly from students about any specific concerns regarding their work on campus, we welcome an opportunity to discuss any issues with them. Through this mutual dialogue, we can make efforts to further improve student work life,” the statement said.
*Siena Cawrse is a staff writer for The Occidental.
Kawena Jacobs contributed reporting for this article.
Contact Ava LaLonde at lalonde@oxy.edu.
