The recent coverage by The Miscellany News of the ongoing contract negotiations between Vassar College workers and its administration reflected our community’s reality. The reporting showed workers openly expressing feelings of being unseen, under-resourced and underpaid.
These accounts should disturb every student here, because gratitude without solidarity is, at best, an empty gesture.
I admit I often fall into the lull of gratitude’s routine. When I think about the acknowledgments section of my thesis at the end of the next semester, I imagine thanking professors, classmates and family. I also want to recognize those who clean the dorms, run the dining hall and collect our trash. These workers are the unseen foundation of our education.
Yet, an everyday “hello” and “thank you” does not equal standing together with those who keep our campus running while they fight for living wages, safe working conditions and respect. The Misc’s News Editor Julian Balsley and Assistant Editor Hadley Amato’s reporting highlighted the stakes clearly: Workers shared feelings of being unacknowledged by the administration and described a troubling lack of respect, as they were labeled unqualified and uneducated for the roles they hold.
These issues add to insufficient workplace conditions. The most notable issue for students is the barely-functioning dishwasher in Gordon Commons. These are not minor grievances. They affect the safety, dignity and efficacy of the people caring for our campus. Workers are not here for the administration; they are here for you, the students.
Administrators quoted in the article spoke about “ongoing dialogue” and a commitment to “fair compensation, benefits and a healthy workplace culture.” Those words matter. But words without measurable action fall short when workers describe a lived experience of stagnant wages and inadequate resources.
Members of the Working Student Coalition and Student Labor Dialogue have made it clear that Vassar cannot function without its workers—student solidarity matters immensely. When students show up, it undermines any argument suggesting workers are isolated or that their demands are parochial.
Students benefit from these services; we therefore have an ethical duty to move beyond polite gratitude to active support.
So what should that support look like? First, start by being informed. We are students, and critical thinking is part of our education. Second, make it visible and sustained: urge the Vassar Student Association to adopt concrete measures that back worker demands and show a commitment to worker-student solidarity. Third, be vocal: write to trustees, administrators and local union organizers.
Solidarity is not just performative. It is not a sign to hold for one afternoon and then forget. Solidarity is leverage; it enables ordinary people who rely on institutional resources to make collective claims on those resources.
Negotiating in good faith is essential for all parties. As the article notes, bargaining teams have met over 20 times since March. Good faith requires more than polite language at the table; it requires proposals that recognize the ongoing sacrifices workers make and the realities of an economy where rent and basic costs have increased. If bargaining is meant to be done in “good faith,” bring humanity to the people whose livelihoods are at stake.
This is also a test of our educational values. If Vassar and its students claim to commit to social justice, but cannot ensure that the workers who sustain it receive the tools to perform their jobs and live with dignity, then those ideals are hollow. Students must question whether their campus upholds the principles that it teaches in the classroom. How ironic that I sit in a class discussing labor exploitation while we rarely discuss the workplace conditions that allow such discussions.
Finally, remember that workplace dignity is not a zero-sum game. Fair wages and adequate resources for staff do not lessen the quality of education; they strengthen the community where learning happens. They create a campus where everyone can work with the respect and support they deserve—student and worker alike.
I will end as I began, with the acknowledgments section I have yet to write. When I finally write it, I will do more than thank the people who helped me directly. I will thank the workers of Vassar, and I will translate that thanks into action by supporting their negotiations, which will determine whether their labor is treated with the dignity it deserves.
So, I ask my fellow students, the next time you talk with a worker, think about what they truly do for you. They are not invisible fixtures; they are colleagues in the life of this college. They are not there to clean up after you; they are enabling you to receive a good education. Improve your life by helping others. It is the least we can do. If we truly mean what we say about community, let us demonstrate it through our actions.
In solidarity,
A Vassar student
Well said, Soren!