ALT Screenshot of press release with SWC logo. Text: Columbia University Begins School Year by Filing an NLRB Charge that Risks Student Workers’ Right to Unionize Nationwide Over the summer, the University expelled and suspended 80 students, eliminated all but about ten graduate instructor jobs, and filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge that could reshape the future of higher ed. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Hundreds of teachers, students, and community members gathered outside Columbia University’s Morningside Campus during the first day of class on September 2, 2025 to protest the University’s collaboration with the Trump administration and Columbia’s shocking new attempt to eliminate graduate labor rights across the country. The protests included a faculty press conference, a rally led by Morningside Heights Community Coalition, and a practice picket by UAW Local 2710, Student Workers of Columbia (SWC).