Student Worker Aid Collective - Columbia University

This collective was first founded in 2021 as a hardship fund during Student Workers of Columbia’s historic 10-week strike. Student Workers of Columbia (SWC-UAW 2710) is the union of student instructors and researchers at Columbia University, and with financial support from the hardship fund, the union was able to stay out on strike long enough to secure major wins on compensation, third-party arbitration in discrimination and harassment claims, and unit recognition. 

We now operate as a general purpose mutual aid fund to provide support for student workers at Columbia as needed. In addition to financial aid, our network offers other forms of support such as meals or childcare. We also plan to resume operating as a strike hardship fund if and when SWC goes on strike in the future. 

This collective is run by a group of volunteers, friends of SWC.