We have become aware that Wesleyan has hired the most aggressive, most anti-union law firm, Littler Mendelson, to thwart its graduate employees in their unionization effort.

We are worried about the conduct of the new Wesleyan labor director Phil Murray. Murray has completely ignored the university’s 30+ year relationship with one of its workers’ representatives, OPEIU Local 153, in order to bring in this outside law firm to challenge its graduate workers from exercising their rights.

Littler Mendelson is engaged in the most egregious, anti-democratic union busting campaign in recent history at Starbucks. Over 100+ Littler attorneys have worked for Starbucks to slow down Starbucks Workers United’s unionization campaign. Starbucks has broken labor law in over one hundred cases, including firing dozens of baristas for their support of unionizing. Is this the type of organization that we want Wesleyan to spend students’ tuition on hiring?

Littler has also been hired by Apple, Amazon, Trader Joes, McDonald’s, and many other corporations with federal Unfair Labor Practice charges. One of Littler’s attorneys was promoted to the National Labor Relations Board by Donald Trump in 2017. Does Wesleyan want to associate itself with this?

We call on Wesleyan to drop their contract with Littler Mendelson immediately. We ask that you relate to your employee organizations directly, rather than through a third-party union buster.