NUWC 2019: The first annual convention

Like many things student workers create, NUWC all started with a pitcher of margaritas. After attending the Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions, a group of us debriefed the week over some tacos and realized it would be great for undergraduates to have a place all for ourselves to talk about our labor struggles, how to organize, and how to fit into the labor movement at large.

The 2019 convention was a huge success. 40 of us from 10 different universities came together to share the highs and lows of our work, the ins-and-outs of our organizing campaigns, and tips and tricks to help each other advance their campaigns and avoid burnout. We had excellent trainers who volunteered their time to teach attendees how to beat apathy in the workplace, the basics of a union, how to have one-on-one conversation, and how to successfully plan a campaign. In between training sessions, we would talk to each other over coffee and snacks about the history of undergraduate organizing, or when we were all really tired, we just made buttons and talked about avoiding our academic work.

While we had a great 2019 convention, we can and we will do so much more. This year, we plan on reaching even more workers by hosting a virtual NUWC (renamed to National Undergraduate Workers Convention). Stay tuned for more information!