Straws in the Wind - Part 173

From the Brown Daily Herald: Less than two years after its formation, the [Brown University] Third World Labor Organization is disbanding due to “systematically poor turnout,” the union’s leaders wrote in [an] email to members... The labor union represents about 50 student workers at the Brown Center for Students of Color who announced plans to unionize in February 2024. At the time, TWLO organizers cited a desire to “protect the center from censorship,” defend freedom of expression, “ensure Brown values the work of students of color” and “uphold the political legacy of the Third World Center,” the BCSC’s predecessor. But in recent months, low member participation and stalled bargaining with the University left few paths forward for the University’s smallest student labor union, according to organizers... 

Following an “emergency meeting” in early October, members “agreed that we needed to communicate, complete responsibilities and attend meetings,” organizers wrote in the email. But, they added, “This never meaningfully improved.” In early November, organizers told union members that at least 10 members needed to attend the next two union meetings, but this request similarly went unmet, union leaders noted in their email. The lack of attendance “makes this union not member-led and thus not sustainable,” organizers wrote. “The union only runs if we make it run.” ...

“The difficulty came with just being able to find workers who were ready to consistently step up and bargain this contract,” Local 6516 Executive Director Michael Ziegler GS told The Herald. The union was one of five bargaining units at the University represented by the Graduate Labor Organization-led RIFT-AFT Local 6516...

Full story at https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/11/bcsc-student-worker-labor-union-dissolves-citing-systemically-poor-turnout.