The Case for Undergraduate Student Organizing

This paper is a reflection and timeline of my experience organizing a union and negotiating a contract as a student worker at Barnard College. I explored the power dynamics between student workers and college administrations, how to promote unity for progress, and why some undergraduate students are deciding to organize. I discussed the actions of the college that could stifle union organizing and negotiations, the obstacles involved in organizing, and the ways to build solidarity through awareness and coalition. I summarized the main takeaways from my experience and characterize the current student labor movement.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.58188/1941-8043.1935
Primary Topic
Higher Education Research Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Case for Undergraduate Student Organizing

Nina Goldshmid
Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy
Higher Education Research Studies
article

The Case for Undergraduate Student Organizing

Nina Goldshmid
article en

Abstract

This paper is a reflection and timeline of my experience organizing a union and negotiating a contract as a student worker at Barnard College. I explored the power dynamics between student workers and college administrations, how to promote unity for progress, and why some undergraduate students are deciding to organize. I discussed the actions of the college that could stifle union organizing and negotiations, the obstacles involved in organizing, and the ways to build solidarity through awareness and coalition. I summarized the main takeaways from my experience and characterize the current student labor movement.

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the AcademyVol. 17(1)
Decent work and economic growth
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Higher Education Research Studies
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