Students who were arrested on Friday morning at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment have asked The New School community to strike in solidarity with Palestine and until their demands are met. However, some community members don’t have the right to do so.
In an Instagram post today, The New School Students for Justice in Palestine called for TNS students, staff, and faculty to stop all school-related activities, including withholding grades and a boycott of graduation. Until the university meets demands including divestment from the 13 companies supporting and arming Israel and an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions, the strike will continue, it stated.
The demands also included the dismissal of all academic disciplinary and criminal charges against students, a permanent end to all collaboration with the New York Police Department (NYPD), and a stipulation to hold a New Student Workers Union election, according to their letter published at the same time as the Instagram post.
But clauses added to recent worker contracts may risk some community members’ jobs should they choose to strike.
The “No Strike, No Lockout” clause in the part-time faculty (PTF) union’s contract states that PTF cannot strike on any grounds. The student academic worker union SENS-UAW Local 7902’s contract shares the same clause.
The condition wasn’t an easy inclusion. During negotiations for their contract in March, SENS didn’t agree to the clause until the very last day of bargaining. Non-union and full-time faculty members may still be able to strike, as they receive individualized contracts from the university.
However, an email from the Provost’s Office noted that the university will not extend the grading deadline. The email states, “We understand that some have called for an extension of the final grading deadline in this moment, or for a uniform approach to the end of the semester.”
It continued, “we reiterate our stance that we trust our faculty to make the best decision — on a case-by-case basis — on how to meet students’ learning needs …We will not, however, be extending the final grading deadline.”
TNS SJP’s letter was signed by 10 different New School affiliated clubs in solidarity, including The New School’s chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, the Black Students Union, Alumni for Justice in Palestine, the Jewish Culture Club, and Rank and File Student Workers.
“Strike for divestment; strike for your students. They refuse to cross the genocide picket line,” the letter concludes.