LOOK WHO’S TALKING

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

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"We showed that we have power."

SHEEN KIM ’23 Vice Chair, Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth

You helped start the SWCD?

Yes. In the fall of 2021 it was essentially me, a couple of other folks, and what was then a group of very frustrated dining workers. We represent about 180 undergraduate dining workers.

After meeting with administrators about your workplace requests, what happened?

Months and months of back and forth. We grew frustrated.

How would you characterize union members—what sets them apart from other students?

Many of them are first-gen, low-income, international, queer, students of color. It’s fascinating that Dartmouth—we all know this—has this very stark stratification of wealth. We have students serving coffee to avast majority of students who are wealthier.

So, in February you moved to strike?

We sent out a vote, and we had a 99-percent “yes” rate for striking. We let the College know and requested a response by the end of the next day.

And the next day you settled?

Yes. We got an email at 10 a.m. saying the College was “prepared to make significant moves toward your package, can you meet?” Later that day the administration agreed to our proposal, which includes a new $21-perhour wage and mental health sick pay, among other things. Pay obviously is one of the core items of the contract. It was between $13 and $15 an hour, but during the pandemic the school had paid the $21 hourly in hazard pay.

Did you celebrate?

Yes, but first I went home to lie down for a few hours. The excitement and the joy really didn’t hit until later. In that immediate moment, it was like, “Okay, we did that. We showed that we have power and even without striking, they knew that there was a force behind the movement that has been growing across campus the last year and a half.”

Could the union grow to include other student workers?

Easily. These wins should not be limited to Dartmouth Dining Service workers. There’s power in campus unionizing, no matter what shop you are in.

Sean Plottner

BY THE NUMBERS

Student Mental Health

19%

Reported having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives

6%

Reported having been diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point in their lives

50%

Reported having recently engaged in high-risk drinking at least once in the preceding two weeks

H%

Reported having serious thoughts about attempting suicide in the previous year

1»V%

Reported they did not feel they have a community, group, or social circle where they belong at Dartmouth

72%

Agreed their school is actively working to combat racism

81%

Reported their campus is a place where people look out for each other

Data from October 2021Dartmouth/Jed Foundation survey of all students, which had a response rate of 34.5 percent (2,506 people). More information can be found at the DAM website.