Hello ResLife workers,

Almost six weeks after they first promised us “economic proposals”, BU finally made us a counter on compensation – one that falls significantly short of our demand, and even less than what Tufts won last year. They also made several other counteroffers that largely dismissed our initial proposals. A summary:

• Performance evaluations:  We proposed a fairer system of performance evaluations that would give us the right to request and receive the feedback and support we need to do our jobs well. BU refused to give us a right to receive evaluations, and proposed that no worker should be able to grieve or report the way that management handles our evaluations. 

• Health and Safety: BU ignored our concerns for health and safety, rejecting the need for clean, drinkable water in common spaces and adequate temperature control in our housing accommodations. This massively goes against community well-being, both for us and our residents. Multiple Reslife workers have experienced brown water from their own taps, and had to deal with stressful emergency transports when residents suffer heat exhaustion in their own dorms in the summers.

Brown tap water in Danielsen! Courtesy of Nathan Duong (RA).

• Personnel Records: We have proposed that every ResLife worker has access to records about their own employment, discipline, or any feedback. BU agreed to the bare minimum required by the law and counter proposed adding in longer wait times to receive any written documents.

• Appointments: BU also proposed that our Letters of Appointment / MOU include our title, effective start / end dates, management expectations of workers, general description of the job, our compensation, and a statement that we are unionized with SEIU Local 509. BU agreed that ResLife workers can take on semester appointments, allowing us to graduate early or take a semester abroad while holding this job for part of the year!

• Contract Length: We had proposed a two year contract. BU has counterproposed that our contract lasts for three years. In our workplace that would mean almost complete turnover, meaning a new bargaining team wouldn’t have anyone with the experience of bargaining the previous contract on it.

• In a big win, BU agreed to union security - the idea that we are a union workplace and that all ResLife workers must be union members.

• Wages: BU finally made us their counter proposal on compensation.  Here’s our original proposal:

In response, BU proposed that RAs will receive a $1,000 stipend, a meal plan, and housing per semester employed. GRAs receive a similar compensation package except with a $1,500 stipend.

While this is a promising start that is a testament to our organizing, it does not go far enough. BU’s proposal creates an arbitrary pay disparity between RAs and G/RAs that we did not propose and, as the graphic shows, neglects multiple aspects of our proposals that we thoughtfully crafted to plug real gaps. It fails to account for differences in workload and housing assignment. Our total demands would cost less than 0.2% of BU’s $3+ BILLION in endowment. The same university charging undergrads $83k in yearly expenses can afford to provide more than a token increase in our compensation.

You can read BU’s counter proposals in full here.

We deserve a contract that instills safe and positive working conditions with fair and equitable compensation. United, we WILL get such a contract.

Our next bargaining session is April 11 at 9:45am.

Register for the zoom here

If you can’t make it, it is important that your voice is heard! BU keeps scheduling sessions during class time. Let them know you want to attend but have work or class by filling out the “I cant make it" form.

As our campaign heats up, so is the gradworker’s fight for a fair contract. BUGWU voted to go on strike starting this Monday, March 25th and will be holding a rally at noon!. As ResLife workers, we’ll be going to the rally together to show solidarity. Meet up to walk over together at Comm Lawn at 11:45 or find us with ResLife signs at Marsh Plaza at noon! RSVP here.

In Solidarity,

Your Bargaining Team

(Adam, Jacob, James, Jasmine, Lillian, Nik, and Stacey)