South Vermont News

GODDARD COLLEGE STAFF, MEMBERS OF UAW LOCAL 2322, UNANIMOUSLY VOTE TO AUTHORIZE STRIKE, NO CONFIDENCE IN PRESIDENT DAN HOCOY

PLAINFIELD, VERMONT: On Monday, March 13th, a super majority of Goddard College staff, UAW Local 2322 of the Vermont AFL-CIO, unanimously voted to authorize a strike and also took a separate vote of no confidence in President Dan Hocoy’s leadership, which was also unanimous. Staff across the campus – from kitchen workers to financial advisors – participated in these historic votes, including remote workers.

At issue is the very mission of Goddard College, which is to enable “imaginative and responsible action in the world.” Faculty have included visionaries such as Murray Bookchin, who advocated for systems that were non-hierarchical and democratically controlled by all stakeholders. Graduates have included Mumia Abul-Jamal and Peter Schumann of Bread and Puppet, both of whom are known for dedicating their lives to holding those in power accountable through their work. The College was founded in the 1930s to explicitly fight fascism and authoritarianism.

However, when it comes to running Goddard, Dan Hocoy, the current President, represents a significant departure from Goddard’s progressive roots. At issue is a modest cost-of-living adjustment of 3%, which Hocoy and management have thus far refused to grant for almost a year unless staff gives up their rights to negotiate over working conditions. In other words, management is saying that staff must exchange any semblance of workplace democracy – which, again is at the core of Goddard’s mission and ethos – for the barest amount of financial relief in these times of runaway inflation (the current inflation rate is 6.4%).

“At the core, Goddard Staff want fair, safe, and equitable working conditions. In line with Goddard College’s own mission, the Goddard College Staff Union (GCSU) have come together to take imaginative and responsible action in the world - to speak collectively to management about the needs of its workers, whose labor is what allows Goddard to function in its remarkable and transformative work with faculty and students,” stated Danielle Kutner, GCSU Co-Chair.

Rather than work with their union and respect the staffs’ vast experience and input, the College has spent its money on anti-union lawyers, spending upwards of $40,000 thus far in its fight to make Goddard more like other corporatized institutions: top-down, hierarchical, authoritarian. 

In a negotiation session on Tuesday, March 14th, management doubled down on furloughs and cuts rather than agree to proposals that would provide all Goddard stakeholders a greater voice in shaping the future of the institution and fulfilling its progressive vision. 

The strike authorization vote enables the bargaining committee to call for a strike should there continue to be no progress in negotiations. 

“If you decide to go out on strike, know that Vermont’s largest labor federation will be here to support you every step of the way!” said Vermont State Labor Council Executive Director Liz Medina, who was in attendance as an observer and supporter but as a non-member did not participate in any voting.

Medina is also the Vice President of the UAW 2322 Executive Board, a former Goddard College staff union member, and an alumna of the College.

-VT AFL-CIO

Original source can be found here.