VOA教育报道2022--Labor Day, Workers’ Rights at US Colleges

Those arriving at colleges this year might see office workers, researchers, or graduate assistants on strike. A strike is when workers decide not to do their job as a way to ask for more money or better working conditions.

That is what happened in late August at American University (AU) in Washington, D.C.

Linda Golden works¹ in the career center at AU. She was one of about 500 staff members who stopped working to ask for a better contract. Golden said she and other workers wanted to be sure they could cover the cost of living in Washington, D.C. They also felt that workers were being asked to do more work because the school was slow to replace people who left for new jobs.

At a large meeting for first-year students on August 26, many walked out when the university president began speaking. They gathered outside to support the striking² workers, saying "pay your staff." Within two days, the university announced that it had reached a temporary agreement to pay the striking workers more.

Golden called the agreement "a step in the right direction." And she had a message for international students who might be in the U.S. for the first time.

"I think it's important for students coming to the U.S. to know that we have, as workers, the right to organize, to make a case for ourselves and to fight for better working conditions. Everyone deserves⁴ to make fair wages and earn a living. And when that's not the case, we also have a right, a legal right, to organize to demand improved conditions."

Forming a union

The rights that Golden describes have been in place since 1935 in the U.S.

That was the time Congress⁵ passed the National Labor⁶ Relations Act to provide workers with the right to organize, seek representation⁷ and fight for better working conditions. The law protects American workers who act together to address work conditions, with or without representation from labor unions.

When people think of labor unions, they usually think of people who are working in factories or coal mines. In recent years, workers at companies like Starbucks and Amazon are forming their own unions.

And some of the most important conversations about workers' rights are going on at American colleges among graduate students and those who play sports such as American football and basketball.

In the past, graduate students who also held jobs as teaching⁸ or research assistants received a small payment⁹ and reduced tuition¹⁰ for helping¹¹ to teach or do research. Now, graduate and research assistants can ask for help from their unions if they feel like they are being treated unfairly.

There are unions representing them at Columbia, Harvard and New York University. In California, students at 10 schools in the University of California system became unionized in late 2021.

Athletes gain money, seek protection

The graduate assistants' success in forming unions has led college students who play sports to think about how they can organize to get more from the schools.

The Big Ten Conference is made up of major schools like Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Michigan. Recently, the organization signed a contract with several television broadcasters that will bring in $7 billion over the next seven years. The broadcasts will show games played by student/athletes who receive not much more than a small payment and tuition.

Dan Murphy writes about college football for ESPN. For years, Murphy said, there has been talk of a union in college football, but the last serious attempt failed in 2014.

Now that some student athletes are making hundreds of thousands of dollars on what is known as name, image and likeness¹² agreements, they have more power than in the past. Murphy noted¹³ that some also have agents who help them with making deals.

"If college athletes could ever organize their voices and kind of act in unison¹⁴, they would have so much leverage¹⁵ that the NCAA would have to sort of cave and really change their business model."

Murphy also noted that the unions might be able to help college athletes have more time away from their team or more time to rest after games.

"The NCAA has rules that you're supposed to only spend about 20 hours a week or so on your sport when you're in season. But no one really follows those."

Many workers in the U.S., however, will get the day off on Monday in honor¹⁶ of Labor Day, a holiday that started in 1882.

Words in This Story

graduate –adj. relating to studies taken at a university after earning a bachelor's degree

staff –n. a group of people who work for an organization

deserve³ –v. used to say that someone or something should be given something

labor union –n. an organization of workers

tuition –n. the amount of money paid to a school for the right to study there

likeness –n. a drawing or photo of what a person looks like

unison –adj. doing something together at the same time

leverage –n. influence or power used to achieve a desired result

cave –v. to stop trying to resist something or give in

1 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

2 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。

3 deserve   

vt.应受，值得；vi. 应受报答，值得受赏

参考例句：

• You really deserve a good beating,you naughty boy.你这个调皮孩子真该打。
• I do not deserve all the praises bestowed upon me.我不配得到这些赞扬。

4 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

8 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

9 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

10 tuition   

n.（某一学科的）教学，讲授，指导，学费

参考例句：

• Students can apply for individual tuition.学生可以申请个别指导。
• Is this money enough for the tuition fee?这些钱交学费够吗？

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 unison   

n.步调一致，行动一致

参考例句：

• The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
• My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

15 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

16 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。