To the Editors:

What do you know about your local campus labor relations?

There are three labor unions on campus, whose members you interact with everyday. Remember those awesome ladies who gave you free cookies in wilder bowl during midterms? They are members of OCOPE (Oberlin College Office and Professional Employees), who, along with the UAW (United Auto Workers) and Security unions make up our unionized labor force here at Oberlin.

Soon these groups will be entering negotiations of their contracts with the college. This is a critical moment in determining the future of labor on campus, these unions need your support more than ever!

So who’s in a union anyway? Any time you eat at a dining hall or DeCafe you’re bound to meet members of the UAW: cooks, cashiers and servers that it’d be hard to live without. As for OCOPE, they staff most of the offices on campus, from the library to the registrar. The Security Union is pretty much self-explanatory. Security officers may be a drag on a Saturday night, but it’s all too easy to take for granted the safe atmosphere they maintain on campus. Go ahead. Learn about the experience of Oberlin College workers.

Identify your role as a student. Meet the Oberlin College labor unions: A panel discussion with representatives from the three campus labor unions. Wednesday, May 5 at 4:30 pm in West Lecture Hall. [sic]

This is your chance to learn about the people who make your school run, to recognize their hard work, and to show them that the Oberlin student body is involved, interested and supportive of the upcoming negotiations. Faculty, students and community members alike will benefit from this rare opportunity, please spread the word!

–Nina Sarnelle
College first-year