The College told the IMSEUA bargaining unit on March 21 that in the event of a strike, Wellesley College would remain operational, and IMSEUA employees would be expected to come to work.

The IMSEUA bargaining unit covers a wide variety of staff at Wellesley College, including food service, custodial staff, and groundskeepers. Workers at the power plant, distribution center, motor pool, golf course and botanic gardens are also unionized as part of the IMSEUA.

After receiving this notice, the IMSEUA filed a group grievance against Wellesley College on March 24, in an attempt to rescind the College’s interpretation of the no-strike clause in their contract.

The disagreement centers around Article 16 of the IMSEUA’s contract with Wellesley College, which states, “there shall be no strikes, lockouts, picketing, stoppage of work, slowdowns, boycotts or any other direct or indirect interference with operations of the College concerning any matter in dispute between the College and the Union or any of the employees.”

Wellesley College interprets this clause to mean that the IMSEUA is not allowed to participate in any work stoppages.

On the other hand, Tricia Diggins, a custodian and business agent for the IMSEUA, argues that a sympathy strike is allowed under their interpretation of the clause. For the purposes of the contract, an employee is a member of the IMSEUA bargaining unit. Thus, the “matter in dispute” is between the College and WOAW, not their union or employees, allowing IMSEUA members to strike.

According to their grievance procedures, the College’s director of labor and employee relations, Donna Scally, has 30 days to respond to an interdepartmental group grievance. If the IMSEUA disagrees, they can then ask for expedited arbitration, but the arbitration process can take months.

“Grievances and arbitration take forever,” said Diggins. “So God forbid the strike is still going on when we finally settle this.”

In the meantime, IMSEUA employees are allowed to show support for WOAW in other ways, such as wearing WOAW buttons, bringing picketers food or donating to the strike hardship fund.

Outside of their scheduled shifts, IMSEUA employees are also permitted to stand and hold signs near the picket line, but cannot officially picket.

The College is wary of overstepping guidelines governing what employers can say to their employees about organized labor, and Diggins emphasized that Scally was careful to maintain those boundaries. “Donna [Scally] told us she spoke to managers and told them not to express opinions to us,” she said. 

Diggins explains that her father was a member of the large labor union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), until the 1980s, when his company closed and he got a job as a custodian at Wellesley College. 

“This is why my life’s been pretty good,” Diggins recalls, “because he had a union job.”

It has been difficult for Diggins and other employees who support WOAW to cross the picket line each day.

“It hurts us to do that,” said Gloria Figueroa, a barista at the Emporium and trustee on the IMSEUA executive board.

Still, sympathy strikes from other unionized companies have made it harder for certain IMSEUA employees to do their jobs.

The dining halls get the majority of their deliveries from Sysco, a multinational food distributor. At the beginning of the strike, there were concerns that food deliveries to the dining halls would be interrupted because more than 10,000 Sysco employees are part of the Teamsters union, including those at Sysco Boston. 

The College has since developed a workaround with Sysco, where unionized truck drivers park outside the picket line and dining hall managers transport deliveries in smaller vans. Service at the dining halls has remained largely unaffected.

In a statement to the News, the College did not say whether they have made similar arrangements with other vendors, or whether these vendors are receiving additional compensation for accommodating the College.

Unlike the dining halls, many of the supplies for the Emporium come directly from Starbucks and are delivered by UPS, whose drivers are also unionized.

Figueroa says that the Emporium has only received one shipment of Starbucks supplies since the strike began, and they are already running out of ingredients needed to complete orders.

“That’s all I have left, one case of matcha,” said Figueroa. The Emporium was out of large cups for two weeks before a manager was able to complete their shipment, and is currently low on strawberry and dragon fruit inclusions.

Figueroa’s biggest concern is for the Wellesley community, especially in light of the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas for students across the country and the potential impact of the strike on international students’ full-time status.

“I’m always reading what is happening with the student visas,” said Figueroa. “You guys know that we are here to support you on anything, and if there’s anything we can do, we will do it for the students.”

Another unexpected impact of the strike on IMSEUA employees? Elevators.

According to Diggins, at the IMSEUA executive board meeting on April 9, the group leader for preventive maintenance said that Stanley Elevator Company, responsible for elevator maintenance and repair, is unionized and would not be coming on campus during the strike.

Stanley Elevator Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the College declined to comment on the College’s relationship with individual vendors.

Instead, Stacey Schmeidel, director of media relations, related a statement from Piper Orton, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer: “We will find solutions to problems to ensure that Wellesley can maintain critical functions, including feeding students and ensuring that buildings are in good working order.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar, Galeta Sandercock, and Valida Pau.

Students invited to the presentation thought that the meeting was about Wellesley College switching shuttle bus contractors, from Peter Pan to Local Motion. Instead, after discussing transportation logistics, administrators unveiled plans for an interim policy on demonstration and free expression.

“I would say that everyone was kind of blindsided, because we thought this was going to be a meaning about transportation and the bus specifically, but it ended up being this big presentation of this new policy,” said Pollack.

According to a copy of the presentation obtained by the News, the interim protest policy included time, place, and manner restrictions, and required organizers to register any planned demonstrations with campus police. 

When Dean Sheilah Horton announced the policy to the wider campus community via email two days later, it was met with immediate backlash. Six students wrote an open letter in response within minutes, and a petition opposing the policy began to circulate.

On Sep. 4, less than one week after Dean Horton’s official statement, President Paula Johnson suspended the interim policy.

Following the suspension of the interim policy, Wellesley College worked with members of the community to design a permanent demonstration policy. Administrators received input from the Task Force on Speech and Inclusion, which included students and faculty, as well as an Ad-Hoc Committee convened by College Government, which consisted entirely of student representatives.

Pollack, who was a member of the Ad-Hoc Committee, says that the biggest impact of student feedback on the final policy was the diminished role of campus police. As they recall, there was a disconnect between administrators and student representatives regarding the role of campus police.

According to Pollack, “A few of us brought up the fact that they [campus police] contributed to a feeling of lack of safety on campus, one of the reasons being that they carried guns. And I remember Dean Horton not knowing that campus police carried guns.”

Despite progress on the involvement of campus police, concerns about a lack of community input persisted. The Task Force on Speech and Inclusion held two town hall meetings to discuss the policy during the fall of 2018, and members expressed concerns about the lack of attendance.

Professor of Peace and Justice Studies Catia Confortini told Sophie Hurwitz ‘21 in a Wellesley News article, “I think the Task Force is doing a great job, but the number of people who showed up was a little bit disappointing for me. It’s frustrating when people complain that ‘this policy was written without me,’ and then don’t participate in important conversations when they have the chance.”

Revisions to the protest policy continued for over a year. The final policy on demonstrations and free expression was released to students via email on Nov. 25, 2019.

The permanent policy includes time, place, and manner restrictions similar to the interim policy with the stated purpose of maintaining campus safety and minimizing disruption to students’ education. 

Organizers are required to register protests with administrators, not campus police, but officers still retain the ability “to respond to threats of violence and acts of violence without first contacting demonstration organizers or Wellesley College administrators.”  

Mikayla Tansil ‘25, the Community Organizing and Inclusion Liaison (COIL) for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, has also attempted to ease the registration process by offering organizers the option to communicate plans for demonstrations through the COIL instead of going to administrators directly.

The protest policy was thrust into the spotlight in spring 2024 in the aftermath of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center (HRCC) Summit. The summit, meant to promote democracy and celebrate the recently created HRCC, was met by opposition from pro-Palestinian protesters who argued that the HRCC was complicit in the ongoing tragedy in Gaza.

While the majority of protesters remained outside of Alumnae Hall as instructed by administrators under the authority of the protest policy, four students disrupted panels inside the event. 

The disruptors were removed and charged with “disorderly conduct and/or failure to comply with administration.” Instead of being resolved through an Honor Code Hearing, which involves students, faculty, and administrators, their cases were adjudicated via administrative resolution, which involved only administrators and the student being charged.

In an email statement to the News, Dean Horton explained the decision to use administrative resolution, writing, “The administrative resolution is typically used with cases that do not require fact finding because the facts are clear, and the incident requires a swift response. […] Last spring, the facts were clear – it was a high level security event and a disruption would be considered a violation and there was an undisputed disruption.”

Further protests ensued outside of each of the disruptors’ administrative resolution sessions.

Alex Teasley ‘27, was at the original protest outside of Alumnae Hall during the HRCC Summit, and attended the protests for the second, third, and fourth disruptors outside of their resolution sessions.

Teasley alleges that at the protest for the fourth disruptor, a former Associate Director for Residential Life threatened them with honor code charges for using a megaphone, including a specific threat to process the charge using administrative resolution.

When asked by the News if it was typical procedure to refer a student to administrative resolution at the time of an alleged incident, Dean Horton stated that she could not confirm whether Teasley’s story was accurate.

As her tenure as COIL comes to a close, Tansil said that there are still changes she would like to see made to the protest policy, but “things have been a little quiet, it’s sort of just been swept under the rug.”

For more in-depth interviews on the creation of the protest policy and its impact on the Wellesley community, listen to the latest episode of the Word on Wellesley (WoW!), the Wellesley News official podcast, on Spotify.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar, Jessica Chen and Valida Pau.

“No matter what sector we bargain in, it’s the same issue – the bosses don’t want to share,” Fein told the crowd gathered at the Central St. entrance.

In a statement to the News, he reiterated the link between unions across industries. “The fight is the same,” said Fein. “It may be a different business, but it’s about having dignity on the job.”

Fein’s message of support from unions in other sectors was underscored by the crowd in attendance at the rally. 

Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, spoke at the picket line, and members of the UAW and Boston Teachers’ Union were in attendance. 

UPS, which is unionized, has also paused deliveries to the Mail Center for the duration of the strike.

State Senator Lydia Edwards made her second appearance on the picket line. She previously addressed WOAW on March 28, saying, “This is part of my continued work for collective movement to continue to bend the arc towards justice.”

Many of the speakers linked WOAW’s negotiations with Wellesley College administration to the broader political environment.

“We’re at a critical juncture in America right now,” said Fein. “The richest man in the world is calling the shots. Every protection for workers is under attack, our free speech is under attack, our right to organize is under attack – everything we do is under attack right now.”

Speakers also commented on how NTT faculty, who are more likely to be women than their tenured counterparts, to the historical undercompensation of positions considered “women’s work.”

Katie Hall, a distinguished senior lecturer in the physics department, remarked, “This is a women’s college that is paying a position that is traditionally considered women’s work sixty-seven cents on the tenure-track dollar.”

In addition to those who spoke on the picket line, other politicians have shown their support for WOAW online.

Elizabeth Warren, the senior US senator from Massachusetts, endorsed the WOAW in a post posted to X on March 28.

“Our educators work hard to support their students and their communities, and they deserve a contract that recognizes that hard work,” wrote Senator Warren, adding, “When workers fight, workers win.”

Senator Warren ran on a progressive economic platform, including a proposal to allocate a portion of board seats for workers at large companies. 

Jocelyn Benson ‘99, Michigan’s secretary of state and a Wellesley alumna who delivered the 2023 commencement address, also voiced her support in a video posted to the United Auto Workers (UAW) Youtube channel on March 24, stating, “I know Wellesley is a place that shaped who I am today, and I know it will do better.”

Secretary Benson’s endorsement comes as she is campaigning for governor of Michigan, the state where the UAW was founded in 1935.

On March 11 following the WOAW campus rally, Senator Ed Markey, the junior senator from Massachusetts, posted on X, “I am in solidarity with @UAWRegion9A workers at Wellesley College as they negotiate for a fair first contract.”

Senator Markey reiterated his support for WOAW on March 28 after the strike began, stating on X, “I am in solidarity with @WOAWUAW workers on the picket line at Wellesley today.”

The Wellesley News previously reported that WOAW has tentative plans to invite Senator Warren, Senator Markey, and Secretary Benson to speak at the picket line. 

When asked whether the union has plans to invite Senators Warren and Markey, Erin Battat, a senior lecturer in the Writing Program, told the News, “Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us at the picket line.”

The offices of Senator Warren and Senator Markey have not confirmed their appearances at the picket lines.

The Union believes public endorsements are effective strategies to put pressure on the College while helping motivate non-tenure track faculty as the strike continues.

“Public support from any member of the community who supports labor, whether that be students or national politicians or anyone in between, really buoys our morale because it reminds us that we’re not doing this for ourselves, we’re doing this for our students,” said Paul Martorelli, a lecturer in the Political Science department.

WOAW continues to receive statements of solidarity from unions at other universities, including the Boston University Graduate Workers Union (BUGWU) and Contract Faculty United (CFU-UAW), the union for full-time continuing contract faculty at New York University.

WOAW is also supported by the Massachusetts branch of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a federation of unions affiliated with UAW.

Noufeesa Yahyaoui contributed to reporting.

Correction: “The offices of Senator Warren and Senator Markey have not responded to requests for comment.” has been changed to “The offices of Senator Warren and Senator Markey have not confirmed their appearances at the picket lines.” for clarity purposes.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar and Valida Pau.

Wellesley College used to have an on-campus bar. 

On the first floor of Lulu, across from Tishman Commons and around the corner from Cafe Hoop, is Punch’s Alley, a red room, also known as Pub, that used to house a student-run cooperative where student bartenders served alcoholic drinks.

“I joined Pub because, in my time at Wellesley, it was really a space – and I think that this is true for all of the co-ops, actually – where a lot of really progressively-minded students on campus would congregate,” said Hazel Leung ‘20, an alumna who started working at Pub as a sophomore.

Students would gather at Punch’s Alley for Pub Night on Thursdays, and organizations could book the space for events.

In addition to being a community hub, Pub provided a safe space for students to experiment with alcohol on campus. Workers at Pub were certified by Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS), the training program for bartenders designed to help prevent underage drinking and overconsumption. 

“If you wanted to party in a safe environment, this was kind of like partying with training wheels on,” said Leung. Intoxicated students could go to Café Hoop to get food, and dorms were always within walking distance. “This was like, we’re having fun, but training wheels are still very much securely attached.”

Student cooperatives, such as Pub, Café Hoop, and El Table, were all closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. When they reopened, Pub could no longer serve alcohol and rebranded as an event space that served mocktails. Some students speculated that Pub had lost their liquor license.

Punch’s Alley used to operate under a Dining Hall License, a type of license that allows higher education institutions in Wellesley to serve food and beverages. Roger’s Pub, the on-campus bar at Babson College, currently serves alcohol under a Dining Hall License.

The Town of Wellesley told the News that the license for Punch’s Alley “has remained inactive but renewed should the school wish to reopen Punch’s Alley as a dining hall and would be eligible to reopen after reinspections.”

The decision to stop serving alcohol at Punch’s Alley was ultimately made by the College administration.

Stacey Schmeidel, director of media relations, explained in an email statement to the News that the Town inspector came for a scheduled visit related to reopening the Pub in 2021. While there, he observed violations of College policy and Town regulations. 

“This unfortunate situation jeopardized the College’s ability to serve alcohol not only in the Pub, but also as needed at events for faculty, staff and alums,” Schmeidel said. 

This led the College to transition the Pub to serving mocktails rather than alcohol. For the next two years, Pub continued to serve mocktails and provide a venue for campus events.

It was not until April 2023 that a performance by a local punk band, NEETS, prompted safety concerns and eventually Pub’s full shutdown.

“The band handed out these slips of paper that had these sort of threatening messages on them, talking about having planted a bomb in the gender-neutral bathroom,” said Andreea Sabau ‘23. Sabau was the head managing editor of the News during the 2022-23 academic year and covered the story at the time.

During the performance, the band pulled out props that some audience members mistook for real guns.

According to Sabau, attendees “were not given notice of the fact that there would be a gun, real or fake, in the show. And at the time, in that quick decision-making, you don’t know if it’s real or fake.”

Campus Police swept the building and began an investigation into the incident. Soon after the incident, in April, Pub closed indefinitely pending an investigation by the Office of Student Involvement. 

Amanda Kaufman, associate director of student involvement and leadership, declined to be interviewed for this story.

Two years later, Pub has not emerged from the incident and has yet to reopen. The student-run cooperative is now defunct.

In the Wellesley Administrative Handbook last updated in September 2024, the College prohibits imitation or replica firearms on College premises, with the exception that the entire exterior surface is brightly colored or translucent or the barrel is closed with a blaze orange plug that extends at least a half an inch. 

While Punch’s Alley is no longer managed by students, Schmeidel said that the space is still available for use. 

“The Pub remains a valuable student programming and event space where ‘mocktails’ can be served. Student organizations interested in hosting activities at the Pub may contact OSI,” she said. 

The latest episode of the Word on Wellesley (WoW!), the Wellesley News official podcast, explores the history of Punch’s Alley and the reasons for its decline. Listen to the Word on Wellesley (WoW!) on Spotify for the full story on Punch’s Alley and interviews with alumnae on their experiences at Pub.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Galeta Sandercock, Sazma Sarwar, and Valida Pau