BENNINGTON — A union representing Bennington College faculty, staff and campus safety workers has agreed to the college administration’s request to split into three bargaining units, paving the way for the school to voluntarily recognize the labor union.
The union’s organizing committee, which is made up of about 30 people, agreed on Wednesday to create separate bargaining units each for faculty, staff and campus safety workers.
The decision came after college officials declined the union’s counter-offer last week to form two bargaining units, said Laura Crosslin, a committee member.
“We were disappointed that they didn’t want to do the two, but we also knew that we are still gonna stand together, between the three sections,” said Crosslin, who works in the college admissions office. “We can still have the cohesion that we’ve been building.”
Union representatives informed college officials of their decision during a meeting Thursday morning.
The college administration said the two sides are now working on the formal recognition process, which would avert the need for an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
“The College and BCU are discussing the details of that recognition process and working cooperatively to reach a formal agreement on recognition and to do a card count overseen by a neutral third party,” the administration said in a statement in response to VTDigger’s questions.
School officials declined to say why they insisted on the union’s splitting into three collective bargaining units.
Union organizers said Bennington College United has about 150 members, who encompass full-time and visiting faculty, and hourly and salaried staff, including campus safety workers. They represent about 70% of the people eligible to join the group, which represents the first faculty and staff union at Bennington College since the school was founded in 1932, organizers said.
The college’s dining hall workers and buildings and grounds personnel are already unionized under the Service Employees International Union, according to AFT Vermont, an umbrella labor union that represents 9,000 health care and higher education professionals in the state.
Bennington College United members said they formed the union in mid-October in a bid to get the administration to act on several pressing issues. They characterized those as low morale and high turnover among employees, lack of transparency around the college’s financial situation and absence of a uniform policy on benefits and raises. They also want the college administration to formalize an anti-retaliation policy.
The union has since been seeking the college administration’s voluntary recognition. On Nov. 15, college officials declined the union’s request, asking it to first split into three separate bargaining units.
Members of the organizing committee described the developments on Thursday as a win for the union, which held a rally with about 150 people in front of the college administration offices midday.
“At this moment, there is no going back to an opportunity to silo us into three separate areas,” said union member-organizer Jared Della Rocca, referring to faculty, staff and campus safety workers. “We have shown solidarity, and because of that solidarity, we have achieved a historic victory.”
Della Roca, director of library services at the college’s Crossett Library, said the expected formal recognition of Bennington College United would draw more people to its ranks. “I think people who are on the fence are going to join up,” he said.
