Columbia Resident Advisers to Vote in Unionization Effort

March 28, 2023

Starting on March 29, the National Labor Relations Board will conduct a mail ballot election to allow Columbia’s Resident Advisers to determine whether they wish to be represented by the Columbia University Residential Adviser (CURA) Collective for purposes of collective bargaining. This page serves as a resource for information and updates on Columbia’s response to CURA’s unionization efforts.

Last summer, in response to student concerns regarding compensation and other support for the Resident Advisers, the University updated its compensation model, offering a $13,000 honorarium in lieu of a stipend and free housing. Additionally, in January 2023, Columbia announced that weekend shifts for Resident Advisers would be reduced from 24 hours to 11 hours.

Following these improvements, in February 2023, CURA sent a letter requesting voluntary recognition of their union as the exclusive bargaining representative of Columbia’s Resident Advisers.

As was communicated in response to CURA, the University appreciates that Resident Advisers have a right to decide whether they wish to be represented by CURA. To that end, the decision by Resident Advisers to unionize should be a democratic one, with each Resident Adviser having an opportunity to vote on the matter.

The University and CURA have reached an agreement about the logistics of the election. The election will be held via a secret ballot carried out through the U.S. mail under the supervision of the Regional Director of Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board. For more details, please see the Notice of Election distributed to Resident Advisers on March 22, 2023. The University encourages all eligible students to participate in the election process so that all voices can be heard.

The University remains committed to engaging in a mutually respectful, fair, and democratic dialogue throughout this process.

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