FEB. 19 2026 – Students, staff and faculty rallied outside Cleveland Commons in support of a newly proposed staff union — Whitman College Workers United (WCWU). The rally marched to Memorial Hall, where Peter Schultz delivered a letter to President Sarah Bolton, requesting that the college recognizes the new staff union without an election hosted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 

WCWU received enough signed union authorization cards to forgo the NLRB election process if the college voluntarily recognized the group. 

MAR. 05 2026 – Vice President for Finances and Administration Jeff Hamrick released the college’s formal response to this letter in an email obtained by The Wire. According to this announcement, which was shared on faculty and staff email Listservs, the college will not recognize WCWU until staff have completed an election process through the NLRB.  

Because of this, eligible employees will be expected to vote through the NLRB’s secret ballot process before WCWU can initiate formal negotiations on campus.

According to the announcement, the college has decided not to recognize the voluntary signatures which WCWU collected prior to the rally last month as a legitimate election process. Instead, administrators believe that an organized election through the NLRB will allow employees to vote in “a fair, inclusive and confidential process in which all eligible staff members have the opportunity to participate.”

Whitman College, WCWU and the NLRB will decide when and where the election will take place. While the election time, place and voting eligibility are yet to be determined, the email states that administrators will share these details after receiving confirmation from the NLRB.  

The final paragraph in Hamrick’s email on behalf of the college concludes with the following statements, as well as an encouragement for faculty and staff to send questions and concerns. 

“While we do not believe union representation would be beneficial to our employees, our mission, our students or our culture, and hope you vote ‘No,’ we respect your right to have an election to determine whether or not you choose union representation. We encourage you to seek out information and ask questions, and will be sharing more information in the coming days.”

Below is a copy of Frequently Asked Questions and the college’s responses as they are listed in this email. 

Why did the college choose not to voluntarily recognize Whitman College Workers United/American Federation of Teachers (WCWU/[the American Federation of Teachers] AFT)?

Whitman believes it is important to ensure that all eligible employees have a full and fair opportunity to participate in the decision-making process about unionization. To protect our employees’ right to make their voice heard via a confidential process, the Whitman College Board of Trustees voted to support an NLRB-run election as the most fair way to determine whether a majority of eligible employees wish to be represented.

It is a matter of social justice to support labor movements, and the college’s leadership is unethical for not doing so. Please explain yourselves.

Whitman College recognizes and respects the important role that labor movements have played in advancing workers’ rights and social justice. Union representation can be determined through voluntary recognition or an election. Whitman’s decision not to voluntarily recognize the union at this time is not a statement against organized labor. Rather, it reflects our commitment to Whitman employees to ensure that any decision regarding union representation is made through a fair, inclusive and confidential process in which all eligible staff members have the opportunity to participate.

The college is supportive of whatever decision its employees make and remains committed to transparency, dialogue and the well-being of its employees. Our goal is for there to be a process that is lawful and respectful of the diverse perspectives in our community.

I have been told that while the process of establishing a collective bargaining unit is under way, there cannot be “any changes in wages, hours, working conditions or other mandatory subjects of bargaining before negotiating with the union to agreement or overall impasse.” Yet, I understand that certain budget cuts are still taking place. How can this be?

If budget reductions were already planned, follow established or past practices or are necessitated by financial circumstances independent of the organizing process, they may proceed. 

Whitman College is committed to complying fully with applicable labor law.

What will happen with the college’s current shared governance groups (e.g., the President’s Budget Advisory Committee, the Staff Advisory Council, etc.) if a portion of the college’s workforce is eventually unionized?

The bottom line is that we do not know how a contract with a union could affect our shared governance processes. If eligible employees vote to unionize, it would become the exclusive representative for the employees it covers. At this time, it is impossible to predict what a contract would look like between the college and the union.

Whitman College acknowledges that if this process results in certification of representation with a union, the college will engage in good-faith bargaining with the union.