The Newest Union Members Are Undergrads
R.A.s working in college dorms help crime victims, enforce health protocols and handle mental health crises. They want more pay — and will strike to get it.
Read the full story here | Reporter: Alan Blinder | Photo Editor: Heather Casey
Resident assistants at Boston University voted overwhelmingly last March to have a union.
Sam Betsko found out fast that being a resident assistant in a college dorm would be demanding.
Nathan Duong says that many students have found that their workplace structure was “not built in our favor.”
Many university officials believe they already provide sufficient benefits to student workers, such as housing.
A Gallup poll this year found that 78 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 approved of unions, the highest in more than two decades of polling.
Resident assistants at Tufts: Anisha Uppal-Sullivan, left, and David Whittingham.
“I have a kitchen and I love that, but that’s not what I need,” said Jasmine A. Richardson, a junior at Boston University. “I need food.”
As families increasingly question the worth of college, undergraduates are often asking the same question about their campus jobs.