Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College has finalized collective bargaining agreements with the three units of Bennington College United (BCU), the AFT-affiliated union representing faculty, staff, and campus safety. These agreements ensure equitable compensation and benefits for BCU members while supporting the long-term financial sustainability of the College.
The contracts are the result of extensive and thoughtful negotiations that began in 2024, when Bennington College voluntarily recognized BCU upon its formation.
“These agreements are a reflection of Bennington’s commitment to equity and cooperation. At a time when small colleges across the country face unprecedented challenges, this agreement reflects what is possible when institutions and labor come together with mutual respect and a commitment to mission,” said Laura Walker, President of Bennington College. “I am grateful to the members of BCU for their dedication to Bennington, and to the College’s negotiating teams for their tireless and thoughtful work.”
BENNINGTON COLLEGE
Bennington College is a leading liberal arts college in southwestern Vermont that has distinguished itself as a vanguard institution within American higher education. It was the first to include the visual and performing arts in a liberal arts education. Bennington students work intensively with faculty to forge individual educational paths around their driving questions and interests. It is the only college that requires its students to complete an internship, known as Field Work Term, every year. Rooted in an abiding faith in the talent, imagination, and responsibility of the individual, Bennington invites students to pursue and shape their own intellectual inquiries and, in doing so, to discover the profound interconnection of things. Learn more at bennington.edu.
Source: 6.5.2025. Bennington, VT—Bennington College
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