Boston University graduate workers announce strike
Workers will strike on March 25 over unfair labor practices and improvements to working conditions
FOR RELEASE: March 20, 2024
Press Contact: Natalia Berthet Garcia
978-514-0336, nberthetgarcia@seiu509.org
Boston, MA – After eight months of negotiations, graduate workers at Boston University (BU) announced they will move forward with a strike on Monday, March 25. The announcement comes nearly two weeks after a vote where an overwhelming majority of voters authorized the bargaining committee to call for a strike.
BU graduate workers are represented by SEIU 509, a union of human service providers and educators in Massachusetts. SEIU 509 has filed five unfair labor practice charges at the NLRB against the university for multiple issues, including failing to provide essential information needed to identify graduate workers in the bargaining unit. Workers will launch their strike with a rally on March 25 at Marsh Plaza (735 Commonwealth Ave, Boston). The rally will begin at 12 pm.
Graduate workers, whose job duties include teaching and conducting research for the university, are fighting for fair pay, comprehensive health care, and stronger benefits such as child care subsidies to offset the rising costs of housing and other basic necessities in Boston.
“For eight months, we have been urging BU to bargain in good faith and provide the basic information our members need to bargain,” said David Foley, President of SEIU 509. “BU’s conduct continues to signal that they do not value the contributions of the workers that keep this university running, and we are committed to supporting our members as they fight for the fair contract they deserve.”
Graduate workers are paid stipends that range from a minimum of $27,000 to approximately $40,000 per year. According to the MIT living wage calculator, the required annual income before taxes to make a living wage in Boston is around $62,000 per year.
“As a parent of an eight-month-old child, I cannot even begin to express how much my family is struggling,” said Pol Pardini Gispert, a graduate worker and international student in the Philosophy department. “My partner and I are putting off important things like dental care to prioritize paying our rent and putting food on the table. We need to feed our child, we need to make sure we have housing, and on a $38,000 stipend it is really difficult to juggle all of our expenses. I came to BU because they have a strong reputation as an academic institution, but their failure to invest in workers is making this work unsustainable.”
“Our health care plan makes it extremely difficult to access the comprehensive care a lot of us need,” said Maggie Boyd, a worker in the English department. “Two years ago, I had a medical emergency that cost me thousands of dollars and took many months to address. I strive to provide the best education possible for my students, and I need to make sure I am healthy enough to do that.”
Throughout their contract campaign, workers have garnered the support of undergraduate students, adjunct faculty, and community members.
“I support graduate workers because they have contributed so much to my experience as a student here,” said Samantha Betsko, a senior at Boston University. “It is completely unfair that the people teaching our classes and mentoring us are struggling so much. It is very clear to me that better working conditions for graduate workers will result in better learning conditions for students and I hope BU will do the right thing.”
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