Chatham Student Government reaffirms support for Chatham Faculty United

Bella White

February 23, 2024

Chatham Faculty United pin.

Chatham Student Government’s (CSG) Executive Board issued a statement on Feb. 19 expressing its disagreement with the University’s decision to not voluntarily acknowledge the faculty’s unionizing effort.

“As we have made clear to President [Rhonda] Phillips, it is the position of CSG that faculty unionization is in the interest of the student body, promotes shared governance and cooperation at the university, and supports the entire Chatham community,” the Executive Board said in a press release. “We will continue to provide our full and unequivocal backing to Chatham Faculty United throughout this process.”

The statement follows the University’s recent decision to not voluntarily recognize Chatham Faculty United and instead electing to seek a hearing from the National Labor Relations Board on the faculty’s request for a collective bargaining unit.

Chatham Student Government has previously expressed its full support of Chatham Faculty United on Jan. 25 during a Senate meeting where CSG invited representatives of Chatham Faculty United to present on the unionization efforts and how it could benefit students and faculty. Following the presentation, CSG passed CSG.Resolution-SP2024-01 demonstrating its support of Chatham Faculty United and urging the University to recognize the union.

Despite its disapproval, the Executive Board still looks to continue a collaborative relationship with President Phillips and the administration in the future.

“We thank President Phillips for her transparency to the student body on this matter, and we look forward to working with her on her commitment to improving shared governance — especially in implementing true student input and decision-making power at Chatham,” according to a statement.

About the Contributors

Bella White, Editor-In-Chief

Bella White ‘27 is a Communications major concentrating in Journalism with a minor in Creative Writing. Originally from north of Pittsburgh, Bella decided to come to Chatham to build on their passion for writing. Bella is the editor-in-chief of the Communiqué. When writing, they primarily focus on news and the Chatham Student Government, but have been known to dabble from time to time. In her free time, Bella enjoys reading, attempting to crochet, taking naps and talking with friends. They can usually be found at a library or bookstore with a good iced chai. For inquiries about their work, Bella can be reached at IsabellaR.White@chatham.edu or @b.el.la.w on Instagram.

Abigail Hakas, Opinion Editor

Abigail Hakas ’25 is a Communications major with a concentration in journalism and a minor in African American Studies. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Abigail transferred to Chatham from the Community College of Allegheny County after three years of study. Abigail’s focuses are opinion pieces and informative stories on issues relating to inequity and social justice. Outside of journalism, Abigail has a passion for wrestling, video games and animals. Abigail can be reached at Abigail.hakas@chatham.edu.