Your Resident Assistants, Graduate Resident Assistants, Graduate Housing Assistants and Resident Sustainability Leaders make up the BU ResLife union! As ResLife workers, we respond to resident emergencies, ensure that your housing needs are taken care of, assist with lockouts and roommate mediation, plan community programs, link you up with campus resources, and more. We unionized end-2022 to fight for better compensation, rights, and workplace protections.
A strike is a coordinated stoppage of work aimed at pressuring BU to bargain with us in good faith. Our power comes from disrupting the employer’s operations: as ResLife workers, this includes not showing up for our on-call shifts, not submitting weekly reports, not attending ResLife staff meetings, and more. We will also set up picket lines on campus as physical venues for coordinating and sustaining this stoppage.
We want to secure better working conditions that will guarantee a safer housing environment for residents. BU may attempt to weaken our strike by claiming that we do not care for our residents, but that is a lie. We are striking because the University has refused to provide us free and optional training in lifesaving care, even though we already have to deal with stressful resident emergencies. BU has also not agreed to providing heating/cooling controls in our residences. This is a major issue during the summer, as ResLife workers routinely having to attend to resident heat exhaustion and emergency transports.
Many ResLife workers are not given a meal plan, and have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. BU is not only ResLife’s employer, but is our shared landlord. The University is responsible for ensuring our safe living and working conditions, and our strike will go a long way in securing that for generations of residents and ResLife workers to come!
Our decision to strike comes after extensive bargaining attempts and diligent efforts to engage Boston University in meaningful discussions. Despite our persistent endeavors to bring critical issues such as fair pay, safe working conditions, and equitable treatment to the forefront, our attempts have been met with considerable resistance. The reluctance of Boston University to not only acknowledge our concerns but also to participate in constructive negotiations has left us with no alternative. This step, though difficult, is driven by our commitment to ensuring that substantial, positive changes are implemented.
Read more about our contract demands in What we’re fighting for!
During a strike, your Resident Assistants, Grad Housing Assistants, and Resident Sustainability Leaders will cease performing our regular duties. This means:
- Not responding to any emails or communications relating to our job
- Not working on-call shifts
- Not hosting mediations or helping with other resident issues
- Not updating our bulletin boards
There are many ways to support your RAs, GRAs, GHAs and RSLs in this fight! Please:
- Attend the 4/12 launch rally or a picket line (find information on Instagram @bu_reslifeunion)
- Telling your neighbors and roommates about what is happening
- Repost ResLife Union graphics on your personal social media
- Write messages of solidarity to your G/RA or GHA!
- Write an email to BU admin using the email template linked in our Instagram bio
We will provide updates as the situation evolves. Follow this website and our Instagram page: @bu_reslifeunion.