The Student Workers Coalition is a democratic union run by and for student workers at Reed College. We are calling for the organization of student workers employed by Reed into industrial unions representing our common interests so that together, we can reshape our working existence around the vital economic necessities that structure our daily lives. We view as an absolute necessity the representation of people of color, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community as integral parts of Reed’s working students. Exclusion, bias and workplaces that unfairly treat people based upon their identities are economic issues, and we strive to make every voice audible, both within our union and within the community at large.
We are the people that keep Reed running- our labor is inseparable from the value of the school and of the education it seeks to provide. For years, amidst endlessly climbing tuition, a skyrocketing cost of living, and a background of nationally-rising student loan debt that has consigned a generation to decades of debt-peonage, we have remained underpaid and undervalued. As individuals, we are at the whims of our employer, but together our combined strength- the power of our labor- is a force that can bring a change.
We are workers of all types, from across all departments, and from many backgrounds. Acknowledging the shared exploitation of our labor, we have united under one common cause- a better life for ourselves and for those who attend Reed after we are gone.
You are the heart of Reed. You make the college what it is. You deserve a raise, respect, and a say in your job! Join us today. Solidarity to struggling workers!