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On September 30, 2024, the SCLWU bargaining committee, along with Smith College management, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which will award unit members their owed cost of living and merit raises from fiscal year 2025. The agreement was signed 91 days after Smith Human Resources issued raises to non-union workers on campus.
Since the bargaining committee began meeting with management in June 2024, the college made it clear they had no intention to release any annual pay increases to in-unit employees, despite the union’s insistence and evidence that this behavior was in direct violation of the National Labor Relations Act. SCLWU filed an unfair labor practice charge against the college and was prepared to go to a hearing with the National Labor Relations Board; thanks to the dedicated organizing of our members, however, the union gained both substantial public support around this issue and the momentum needed to get what was rightfully ours at the bargaining table.
Members should expect a lump sum in an upcoming paycheck that will include the retroactive 2% cost-of-living increase, as well as a merit raise of up to 2%, that should have been included in their paychecks between July 1 and September 30, 2024. SCLWU also fought for and won language in the agreement that states retroactive pay will be awarded to two former Libraries employees who should have received pay increases, but have since left the college.
With this MOA signed, the bargaining committee is excited to move forward with new economic proposals that will outline future – and better – salary parameters in the union’s collective bargaining agreement. Furthermore, the MOA signifies what we as SCLWU members already know: our collective action, solidarity, and fight for equity in the workplace are all effective bargaining tools that are instrumental in getting what we deserve!
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