Following the U.S. National Labor Relations Board decision on August 23 in the matter Graduate Workers of Columbia – GWC, UAW v. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York (Case No. 02-RC-143012), finding that student assistants employed by private universities are "employees" for the purposes of organizing and collective bargaining, ELA Higher Education Council members were quoted in the following media coverage:
Law360, "NLRB Ruling Blurs Line Between Students, Employees," Aug. 23, 2016
Peter A. Jones of Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC is quoted on the impact of the decision for private colleges and universities:
It will create some interesting challenges for the colleges and universities but also potentially for the students as they try to navigate this dual relationship of student and employee.
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Corporate Counsel, "University Counsel Worry About NLRB Ruling Allowing Teaching Assistants to Unionize," Aug. 25, 2016
Stephen J. Hirschfeld of Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP is quoted on the difficulty of negotiating with a workforce, in graduate students, that necessarily is ever-changing:
How do you even negotiate a contract when your constituency is being turned over continuously?
Hirschfeld also commented on the financial ramifications of graduate student organizing on institutions with already-stretched budgets, and the possibility that outsiders might be needed to contain costs:
Heaven knows what impact it's going to have, given what is already extraordinarily high tuition at these schools.
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