A week ago, a super majority of Goddard College’s unionized staff unanimously voted no confidence in President Dan Hocoy’s leadership and also to authorize a strike. Staff from across the campus – from kitchen workers to financial advisors – participated in person and via Zoom to take part in this historic vote.
Union members have received a huge outpouring of support from students, faculty, alumni, community members, and elected officials. Together we all share a commitment to a just, democratic, and thriving Goddard College. Please sign the petition in support of the Goddard staff union at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/for-a-just-democratic-goddard-college.
The current president represents a significant departure from Goddard’s progressive roots and this shared ethos. For over a year, management refused to grant a modest cost-of-living adjustment of 3% without staff surrendering their right to negotiate on working conditions or agreeing to other economic concessions. Staff have already endured years of furloughs, layoffs, vacancies, overwork, and no cost of living adjustments. Hardship after hardship, staff have shown their faith and commitment to serving students, faculty, and the broader Goddard community to fulfill its mission. Union members are proud of the college and its mission and take this action as a last resort to ensure Goddard lives up to its values.
Update as of Fri. afternoon, 3/24: UA member Brian Tokar was at Goddard for the start of picketing at noon today. The pace of negotiations accelerated considerably as the strike approached, and the administration has backed away from an oppressive and unprecedented-for-Goddard ‘management rights’ clause. The sides are closer than before, but the economic conditions for staff are truly terrible.
Some staff members haven’t had a raise in over 10 years, and many have only received modest one-time pay bumps every 3-years. Several people doing professional-level work in administrative offices are still paid less than $20/hour and some dining staff are still making $15/hour or less. The administration is offering longer vacations in lieu of raises, but office workers can’t even take advantage of their current vacation benefits due to extreme short-staffing.
Goddard staff members and supporters on the picket line, 3/24/23.
Students are on campus for their semester residency (all programs at Goddard now are low-residency with students only on campus for a week at the beginning of each semester), and several are actively supporting the strike. There has also been an outpouring of support from other unions, including officers of the VT AFL-CIO. Stay tuned here for further updates and please sign the petition in support of the strikers’ demands at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/for-a-just-democratic-goddard-college.
Liz Medina, ED of the VT AFL-CIO, reported on Sunday morning 3/26: “Still on the line! Picket today will run until 4 pm.”