WCWU, WCWU We Fight for You! Updates, meetings & actions
The following is a copy of correspondence sent out to the WCWU members email list on Mar. 09, 2026, published for archival purposes and to ensure important information is accessible to all of our members and supporters. Some sensitive information or original attachments may be omitted.
Not receiving our messages? Contact us at wcworkersunited@gmail.com with your name and role within the college to request that you be added to our outreach list!
Hi y’all,
A lot has happened in the past week. Read on to get caught up on developments related to union recognition and ways you can get involved!
In case you missed it:
On March 4th and 5th, President Bolton hosted fora with updates after the Board of Trustees convened on campus. So many of our incredible colleagues attended these fora to ask the necessary questions and hold leadership to account for the decisions they’ve made and the impacts they’re having on their employees and our campus.
Also on March 4th, Whitman College leadership filed an RM Petition with the National Labor Relations Board, choosing not to respect the wishes of college employees to recognize WCWU.
Finally, this morning, Jeff Hamrick sent out the NLRB’s “Notice of Petition for Election” as is required by law. This notice helpfully sets the record straight on a few items that leadership hasn’t addressed or has been intentionally misleading about, namely that “no final decisions have been made yet regarding the appropriateness of the proposed unit or whether an election will be held in this matter.”
As we have stated and as is outlined in this notice, the College’s leadership does not get to make unilateral decisions about our working conditions anymore, and that includes who is eligible to be in-unit for contract bargaining.
We have a voice. You have a voice.
Here’s what we’re doing right now and how you can help:
Attend the WCWU Organizing Committee Meetings! This is your opportunity to have your voice heard in organizing strategy, and to get involved in this campaign. WCWU needs you to keep momentum going!
Join a subcommittee! Even if you can't make the weekly OC meetings, we would be happy to welcome you to another committee. Each of our committees are working on projects to move our campaign for recognition forward. Partnerships, Communications, Events & Actions, Research, and Data are our current committees. We will also be building an Advocacy & Contract Enforcement team and the Bargaining committee. Email us for more info about committees that interest you!
Send us your job description! Our research team is collecting job descriptions so we can prepare for further discussions with the College and possibly the NLRB about positions to be included in our bargaining units.
Talk to your co-workers about the union. Folks might be feeling nervous, angry, or scared. They might have questions. Are they getting our emails? If it feels safe for you to do so, make your support known to those you work with and connect folks to the Organizing Committee if they have questions or concerns.
Finally, continue to keep a lookout for our emails. We have a few things in the works to simply be in community, meet one another and find support in this time of uncertainty. More soon :)
In solidarity,
Shelby
on behalf of the WCWU Organizing Committee