UPDATE – March 13, 2026. 1:00 p.m. – During the March 10 meeting, a faculty vote on the “Faculty Motion Calling for Voluntary Recognition of Whitman College Workers United” took place. 86 faculty members voted “yes,” two voted “no” and three abstained from voting. A co-sponsor of the motion confirmed the outcome of the vote.
On March 11, Whitman College President Sarah Bolton issued an official statement in an email to the Staff and Faculty Listservs with a number of concerns about the recent formation of Whitman College Workers United (WCWU), a union which would cover staff and non-tenure track faculty.
Instead of voluntarily recognizing the union, the college is pursuing a ballot election through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that requires a majority vote in support of the union from staff and non-tenure track faculty. If elected through this process, the college would officially recognize WCWU. This decision has elicited responses from WCWU and faculty representatives.
In the email, Bolton acknowledges the union’s formation and expresses the college’s respect for a legal unionization process. Bolton expressed multiple concerns in the email about the impacts a union may have on the wellbeing of employees and the college as a whole.
“[The college] would likely no longer be able to work directly through shared governance on those issues [of compensation and benefits] with those faculty and staff who are in roles that are unionized,” Bolton wrote in the email to faculty.
Based on the election WCWU organized, the union has a supermajority in support of union representation and affiliation with the American Federation of Teachers as of Feb. 20.
Peter Schultz, a member of Whitman’s staff and WCWU’s organizing committee, told The Wire over email that the administration’s decision not to voluntarily recognize the union may discourage non-supervisory staff from joining the organization.
“The college has chosen to go to the [NLRB], an agency of the Trump administration, because they believe it will result in a smaller bargaining unit and weaken our collective power,” Schultz wrote. “They do this to avoid dealing directly with us, the workers of Whitman College. It’s important to keep this in mind when reading Sarah Bolton’s statement about the importance of ‘collaboration’ and ‘ongoing dialogue.’”
Despite the supermajority, Bolton shared concern that a union would cause divisions among employees.
“Dividing groups into union and non-union would also likely change our culture and sense of commonality between employees. Employees would be governed by different processes, and would also likely receive different raises, pay, benefits and employment terms based on whether their roles were union-eligible,” Bolton wrote.
Additionally, in reference to Whitman’s budget shortfall, Bolton warned that the college will still face financial challenges and limited resources regardless of union representation.
Other campus organizations are also responding to the administration’s decision to initiate an election process with the NLRB. On March 5, The Whitman College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) released a public statement addressing the Board of Trustees.
“The Whitman College Chapter of the [AAUP] calls on the Whitman Board of Trustees to voluntarily recognize [WCWU] and immediately begin good-faith collective bargaining,” the AAUP wrote.
The statement cites an employer’s guide from the U.S. Department of Labor, which upholds workers’ right to organize and emphasizes employer neutrality in response to unionization efforts.
In the guide, the Department of Labor describes voluntary recognition as “a way of respecting your employees’ choice to form a union and have collective bargaining representation based on a showing of majority support and without a formal election.”
“This is not a radical position; it is good governance,” the AAUP stated. “The US Department of Labor confirms this point.“
Faculty members also held a special meeting on March 10. According to Chair of the Faculty Susanne Beechey, at least five faculty members must file written petitions in order to hold a special meeting.
On the morning of March 10, however, administrators contacted Beechey with a request to defer or cancel the meeting. They proposed that faculty members wait to hold the meeting until the college completes the NLRB election process.
“[The college made this proposition], in an effort to avoid supervisor/manager involvement in union efforts, which could be the basis of an unfair labor practice. As an alternative the administration recommended that if the meeting were held it should consist only of faculty who are not considered to be in unit by WCWU, in order to avoid supervisory taint,” Beechey told The Wire over email.
The special meeting proceeded on March 10.
“I cannot cancel a special meeting requested by five or more faculty members, nor can I limit any voting faculty member’s access to faculty meetings,” Beechey wrote.
WCWU and administrators communicate varying concerns as they navigate the upcoming NLRB election. President Bolton’s official statement reflects administrative interests in ensuring a safe and fair process for staff to express their opinions on unionization. Some WCWU members view the administration’s insistence on holding a ballot election as a tactic to weaken the union’s collective power. The election is yet to be announced, and will determine whether WCWU becomes a recognized union.
