UNITED SMITH STUDENT WORKERS WIN ELECTION 66-1

NORTHAMPTON, MA — At 4 P.M. ET on Feb. 1, 2024, United Smith Student Workers (USSW), affiliated with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153, won their union election, voting in favor of the union 66-1(99%). 

“I am so excited that my coworkers and I are joining the wave of undergraduate workers unionizing to fight for a better workplace and a better campus,” says Sasha Rtishchev, a sophomore on the organizing committee who works at the Dawes dining hall. 

The student dining workers at Smith began organizing in order to increase pay, establish better training practices, and implement safer working conditions. Their newly formed union includes hundreds of student workers across more than ten dining halls, as well as two cafes and two catering departments, with the goal of improving workplaces across campus and contributing to a better dining experience for all students.

The Smith student dining workers went public with their union in November, when the college denied their request for voluntary recognition. “Smith could have voluntarily recognized our union of 400 student dining workers, but instead chose to proceed to an election where only 139 workers were eligible to vote,” said Amelia Wesley, a Smith junior, Chase dining hall worker, and organizer on the organizing committee. “Our union is prepared to fight for all of us to be included in our contract. Solidarity is growing on our campus, and Smith’s union busting only makes our organizing easier”

USSW credits their recent success to the strong union presence on the Smith campus. Full-time dining and housekeeping workers at Smith are already unionized as members of SEIU Local 211, while facilities staff belong to SEIU Local 263. Student workers across campus also show strong union sentiment and student HCAs (House Community Advisors) recently won their union election in December. USSW plans to work closely with their fellow unions and foster solidarity across campus.

USSW is one of the first student dining workers in the country, proudly joining groups at Dartmouth College, Grinnell College, and UC Santa Barbara. They are also the second group of unionized student workers at Smith College and the ninth group of undergraduate students to unionize with OPEIU Local 153. 

Now officially recognized as a union by Smith, USSW OPEIU 153 is eager to begin contract negotiations with the College. 

“The union win at Smith highlights a broader trend among our generation and resistance to capitalist, white supremacist oppression,” says Amina Castronovo, a sophomore and member of the organizing committee who works at several of the dining halls on campus. “We are ready to revolutionize our own communities and work forces in solidarity with each other. It’s the only way forward.”