Resident Assistants are Winning their Unions

College and university Resident Assistants, Housing Advisors, and Resident Advisors (RAs) are coming together for a say in workplace decisions. With a collective voice, RAs are securing fair and equitable compensation, improved safety on the job, and greater workplace transparency.

RAs are Creating Change with their Unions

  • Fair Compensation

    RAs are often compensated with reduced or fully covered housing costs. However, housing is just one of many expenses for student workers, and yet many RAs are forced to work multiple jobs to afford basic necessities. By joining together in union, RAs have won additional stipends of $3,000-$5,000 to supplement housing costs being covered by the college or university and fairly compensate RAs.

  • Safety

    On many campuses, RAs are assigned nights to be “on call” and are responsible for conducting rounds to monitor dorms for issues. RAs are often the first point of contact to respond to dangerous and emergency situations, despite in many cases feeling unsupported by administration. To address these concerns, RA unions have negotiated for more training, safety procedures, and communication with residential life leadership.

  • Financial Aid

    RAs receiving financial aid from their college or university are often granted reduced financial aid packages. Since financial aid is determined based on expected family contribution, RAs in need of greater financial aid, who tend to have less wealth, are getting paid less for the same work. By joining together in union, RAs have been able to negotiate for compensation for their work with no impact on their financial aid, which makes RA employment more equitable.

  • Secure Employment

    Most non-union RAs are at-will employees, meaning they can be fired any time for any reason, which colleges and universities have relied on to fire RAs unnecessarily. RA unions have successfully negotiated “just cause” protections, which prevent management from disciplining or dismissing employees without just and/or fair reasons. Union RAs have also secured additional due process in their workplaces by negotiating for progressive discipline procedures.

  • Meal Plan Coverage

    RAs are often compensated only through reduced or fully covered housing costs, leaving these student workers responsible for financing their own on-campus meal plans. After housing, food is many students’ biggest expense, which is why RAs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Tufts University negotiated for meal plans to be included as part of their compensation.

  • Staffing Ratios

    There are often no limits on the number of residents an RA is responsible for, which can create unmanageable workloads. In response to this, union RAs have established staffing ratios in their union contracts. RAs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute successfully negotiated a cap of 55 residents per RA, while RAs at Tufts University capped residents per RA at 50.

  • Holiday Pay & Extra Shifts

    RA positions are intended to be part-time, 20-hour/week jobs. In reality, many RAs work around the clock and are often required to stay on campus through weekends and holidays with minimal or no extra pay. RA unions are using their collective voice to secure holiday pay and extra pay for working over a certain number of hours, and are advocating for a say in who stays on campus during holidays and breaks.

  • Priority Rehiring

    Colleges and universities tend to require that RAs reapply for the position that they presently hold each academic year. Union RAs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute negotiated for re-appointment without needing to re-apply for future semesters and other RA unions have negotiated to prioritize rehiring RAs who intend to hold their position for multiple years.

RAs are workers and have the legal right to unionize!

RAs are both students and workers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the government agency that oversees private sector employees’ workplace rights, has ruled time and again that RAs are employees and have the right to join together in union.

Check out the RAs that have formed unions with OPEIU:

Fordham University

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

University of Pennsylvania

Tufts University

Swarthmore College

Emerson College

Barnard University

RA Union Contract Wins

Wesleyan University

  • 17% pay increase, bringing annual stipends to $11,500

  • Agreement to raise wages yearly

  • Additional holiday pay

  • Seniority pay of $250 at the end of 3rd and subsequent semesters worked

  • Sanctuary campus status

  • Health and safety protections

  • Compliance with ADA policies

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  • Full room with no impact to financial aid

  • 2 meal plan options + an $800-$1600
    stipend, depending on the meal plan

  • Creation of an RA Lead position that compensates those with additional work

  • Returning RAs are re-appointed without having to re-apply

  • Just cause protections and a procedure for progressive discipline

  • Labor Management Committee

  • Reproductive health benefits

  • Staffing ratios of 55 students per RA

  • Protections for RAs who need to take bereavement leave or medical leave

Tufts University

  • 46% raise in compensation, including a meal plan with 80 swipes per semester and a $1,425 stipend

  • Staffing ratios capped at 50 students per RA

  • Adjusted summer training schedule requiring RAs to arrive on campus a maximum of eight days before the first move-in date

  • Labor Management Committee made of five university representatives and five RAs to meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest

  • Holiday pay

You Can Organize Your College Too!

Contact us to learn more about forming a union and gaining a voice for RAs on your campus.

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