We are fighting for various improvements to our job conditions that will make working at ResLife more sustainable and equitable. Based on our conversations with our supervisors, we know that many of our proposals are changes that our supervisors not only support but have been pushing, too. By leveraging our collective power against BU’s top administration, we can more quickly win workplace improvements that will make ResLife a better workplace for all of us.
Read more about our proposals here to see how these changes could transform our lives and experience working at ResLife!
ResLife workers are the backbone of student housing and support at BU, but many of us are navigating food insecurity, financial instability, and health issues daily—on top of unpredictable workloads. We formed a union in 2022 to change that. Your support for us is paramount as we fight for a better ResLife, and better BU.
We have been in negotiations since December 2023 with the University with no significant progress. Although we introduced more than 20 proposals that would alleviate financial and food insecurity, secure better workplace protections, and support us in our jobs, the University has disregarded almost all of those proposals and offered highly watered-down counters. See our full bargaining tracker here, which details everything we are proposing and how BU has responded!
BU has consistently dragged their feet and not given us any substantive counterproposals. In end-March, they finally made us a compensation proposal that includes a meal plan for all workers and a stipend equal to about $8/day. However, this falls far below what many of us need to not have to take on a third or second job. The reality is that many of us are working multiple jobs simply to stay afloat and keep up with the ever-rising tuition that BU charges – which hits $66,670 next year, not including fees and expenses.
During this process, we have filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against BU with the National Labor Relations Board for more rigidly enforcing the GPA policy after we unionized and dismissing workers. This is illegal retaliation. We cannot afford to wait indefinitely for the university to come to the table in good faith. Our strike is a short-term disruption to obtain longer-term sustainability and positive changes to ResLife as a workplace.
Although BU may have directed prostaff not to discuss their opinions about the strike, we are aware of no law that prohibits them from doing so as long as they don’t:
- Discourage them through threats, intimidation, or retaliation,
- Attempt to force ResLife workers to disclose whether they are going on strike, or
- Negotiate private deals with workers that undercut or functionally replace the larger negotiations between the union and the employer
We intend to continue communicating openly with all members of the campus community!
Here are some actions you can take to support ResLife workers in your neighborhood:
- Advocate for our rehiring in the summer and future semesters
- Write us recommendation letters that affirm our ability and commitment in our role
- Join us at the picket lines to demonstrate your support for us. This also sends a powerful message to BU that these issues are vital to the entire BU community.
- Send us a word of affirmation or check in with us!