On May 19, the Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth began a strike after seven months of bargaining with the College. Among other demands, SWCD is seeking a $23 per hour base wage for student dining workers plus increases tied to tuition hikes. They are also pursuing a higher stipend for undergraduate advisors and a $30,000 legal assistance fund for students.
The day before the strike began, The Dartmouth sat down with SWCD organizing committee members Klaire Theall ’27, Manoela Ferraz ’27 and Nadine Formiga ’25 to understand the union’s perspective on bargaining with the College and its decision to strike.
Why did the union decide to put out a vote to authorize a strike?
MF: We have been bargaining for seven months, and then the College decided to not meet us at the bargaining table anymore. They just sent us their last and final offer. We also sent our last and final offer. They never replied to us.
KT: They have not been in contact with us since April 21, when they said they no longer will meet us at the bargaining table.
Why is the organizing committee calling a strike?
KT: Basically, they have told us that they will no longer move on our demands, and they won't meet us back at the bargaining table. There's really no other means for us.
What do you three believe will be accomplished by the strike?
KT: I hope that we will win our contract demands. It is up to Dartmouth with what happens as a result of the strike. When they decide to come back to the bargaining table, talk to us, meet our demands reasonably, instead of completely ignoring them and giving us a bare bones final offer.
NF: We also hope that they will treat us with more respect, because through the seven months of bargaining, they’ve hired very specialized lawyers with experience with union busting. They’ve treated our demands as childish and belittled them as passionate. They have made it seem like our demands are not related to the workplace, which is untrue. With this strike, we’re also hoping that they would treat us with the respect that we deserve, as one of the first undergraduate unions to be established in this country and to have one of the strongest contracts of any union of our kind.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
