Student Workers Brace for Challenges Under Trump’s Return to Office

As Donald Trump prepares to assume the presidency again, student workers across U.S. campuses are anticipating a rollback of labor rights following a surge in union organizing. Between 2022 and 2024, nearly 45,000 student employees joined unions across 44 bargaining units, with an estimated 38% of all graduate student workers in the U.S. unionized as of early 2024.

However, union organizers fear Trump’s administration will seek to curtail these gains. During his previous term, efforts were made to exclude 1.5 million private college student employees from collective bargaining rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), arguing they were not “employees.” While the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) withdrew this proposal during Joe Biden’s presidency, Trump’s return could reignite these debates.

William A. Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education, predicts significant changes under Trump. Once Trump appoints a new majority to the NLRB, it is expected that decisions could restrict or eliminate labor rights on private-sector campuses.

Herbert anticipates a renewed challenge to the 2016 ruling that recognized student workers as employees covered by the NLRA. Additionally, the NLRB’s current stance on college athletes could also face scrutiny.

In response to potential policy shifts, student workers are ramping up efforts to secure union recognition. At Penn State, the Coalition of Graduate Employees, affiliated with the United Auto Workers (UAW), filed a union election petition to represent approximately 5,000 graduate student employees.

“There’s uncertainty about what may come next, but it makes it even more important to keep pushing forward,” said Dia Brown, an engineering graduate student at Penn State. Brown emphasized the urgency of securing protections for international students, particularly as Trump’s immigration policies could include mass deportations.

“My expenses are tight with the stipend I receive,” Brown added, stressing the need for better financial security for graduate students.

Geography graduate student Owen Harrington echoed this sentiment, stating, “It’s time to make this a better, more secure workplace and institution.”

Penn State has not yet set a date for the union election. A university spokesperson said the petition would be carefully reviewed, emphasizing a commitment to open dialogue.

At Vanderbilt University, efforts to unionize have met resistance. Graduate student workers there filed for a union election to join the UAW in October, but the university opposed the move, claiming they were students rather than employees.

After the NLRB requested student information to determine the scope of the union, Vanderbilt challenged the request in court and won. The UAW subsequently withdrew its election petition earlier this month.

Despite this setback, Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United vowed to continue the fight. “This is not a defeat,” the group said, accusing the university of exploiting legal and political circumstances.

From 2022 to 2024, graduate student workers won over 90% of union elections, often with overwhelming support at top universities. Yet, Trump’s presidency is expected to bring new challenges that could shape the landscape of student labor organizing for years to come.

As student workers continue their efforts, national political developments will play a critical role in determining the future of unionization on U.S. campuses.