Mount Holyoke College Workers Go On 24-Hour Strike

[Omaha Steve]

https://amherststudent.com/article/mount-holyoke-college-workers-go-on-24-hour-strike/

Nearly 200 staff members from Mount Holyoke College went on a 24-hour strike on Sept. 2 to advocate for wage compensation and new contracts. The strike comes after their previous contracts expired in August due to failed negotiations that began in March.

Go On 24-Hour Strike
Anna Wang '28
Sep 17, 2025


Forty percent of union workers at Mount Holyoke College earn below the livable wage for Hampshire County of $24.59 per hour. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

On Sept. 2, nearly 200 staff members from Mount Holyoke College went on a 24-hour strike on campus, advocating for higher wage compensation and new contracts to be established.

Staff members who participated in the strike were members of two unions: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, which represented 170 custodians, groundskeepers, and dining service workers, and United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Local 2322, which represented 23 housekeeping staff. Both unions have been negotiating contracts with Mount Holyoke College since March to provide a livable wage for its members, resulting in two rallies on campus before summer break. In addition, 32BJ also sought to provide its members of varying immigration status access to a legal fund for representation in civil cases.

However, no new contracts were signed before the expiration of previous ones in June and July due to a stalled bargaining process. According to Richard Sugrue, dining worker and a member of the 32BJ bargaining committee, the stalling was largely due to “little movement from the college.”

“[Mount Holyoke] College at no point said that there would be no wage increases ... but they were nowhere near what was required to bring our lowest paid members up to a living wage,” Sugrue said.

FULL story at link above.