International student union questions – answered by international students!
Yes, we are! International ResLife workers have the same right to unionize as domestic ResLife workers. In fact across the U.S. international students are leading unionization efforts (example at graduate worker level).
As international students, we face strict restrictions on our ability to work in the U.S. For most of us, our ResLife position is the only job we are legally allowed to take on. Our well-being and financial security are thus highly dependent on job conditions at ResLife. Since University policy often does not guarantee our interests, our best chance at protecting ourselves and improving our situation lies in taking collective action together with our ResLife co-workers.
Among other things, we are fighting for a compensation package that would reduce our need to find other sources of income. We are also fighting for free SHIP health insurance coverage!
In the U.S., you have as much of a right to join a union as a domestic citizen. Under the National Labor Relations Act, workers of all citizenship, visa, and immigration statuses have the right to organize and join a union.
Also, no employer is allowed to retaliate against you for union activity, eg. BU cannot threaten your visa if you unionize.
BU might still risk taking an illegal action. But that is a danger that all international students are already exposed to without a union. Universities regularly take advantage of our legal vulnerability, and workers are often punished for speaking up even when such retaliation is illegal. This is why at the end of the day, our willingness to fight for one another is our strongest protection! When we come together as international students in ResLife, it is harder for BU to single anyone out for retaliation, and we have more power to fight back if BU tries to target someone unjustly.