US student worker unions face threats under second Trump administration

Source: The Guardian

Sat 28 Dec 2024 11.00 EST


Student workers are bracing for the incoming Trump administration to “constrict or eliminate” their labor rights, after a surge in union organizing on college campuses. Nearly 45,000 student employees formed unions between 2022 to 2024 between 44 bargaining units. As of earlier this year, an estimated 38% of all graduate student employees in the US were unionized.

But organizers fear this trend will stutter as Trump prepares to return to office. During his first presidency, officials tried to exclude 1.5 million private college and university student employees from exercising collective bargaining rights under the National Labor Relations Act, arguing these workers were not “employees”.

While the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the country’s top labor watchdog, withdrew this proposal months after Joe Biden took office in March 2021, Trump’s re-election sets the stage for another battle.

William A Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, predicted sweeping changes under Trump once his administration overhauls the labor watchdog. “Once President Trump appoints a new majority of NLRB board members, future decisions by that majority are likely to constrict or eliminate existing labor rights on private sector campuses,” said Herbert.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/28/trump-student-worker-unions-labor-rights