We’re striking. Four years after Columbia’s grad union voted to form a union, we still don’t have a satisfactory contract. Instead, we have one of the richest universities in the world (endowment over $11 billion) helmed by an overpaid president (Bollinger makes more than $4.5 million a year; he did not take a pay cut in the pandemic) telling us we’re asking for too much. Instead, we have a white-shoe lawyer getting paid $1500/hour to croak at us about $28/hour being out of the realm of possibility. Instead, we have a Columbia bargaining team that gaslights our side about the need for neutral arbitration in harassment cases—putting profits over people in the most rancid sense as they try to force us to choose between care for our community and higher stipends. We won’t compromise. I’ll be on our digital picket every day this week, if you want to join. If picketing outside the University feels safe, please join that as well. ❤️