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Boston University graduate workers plan to strike starting Monday
“BU’s conduct continues to signal that they do not value the contributions of the workers that keep this university running,” the union said.
Graduate workers at Boston University are set to begin a strike Monday after an overwhelming majority of union members voted to authorize the action earlier this month.
Negotiations between students and the school have been ongoing for eight months, but the two parties have failed to reach an agreement, the Boston University graduate student union, known as BUGWU, said in a press release Wednesday night.
“For eight months, we have been urging BU to bargain in good faith and provide basic information our members need to bargain,” said David Foley, president of SEIU 509, which represents human service providers and educators in the state and includes BUGWU. “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 support our members as they fight for the fair contract they deserve.”
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The union is fighting for better pay, comprehensive health care, and stronger benefits for its members, who teach and conduct research as part of their duties. Graduate workers are currently paid between $27,000 and $40,000 per year, significantly below the $62,000 that MIT’s living wage calculator says is necessary to live in the city, BUGWU said in the release.
Workers voted to authorize a strike by a 90% majority March 12, with the school saying it was hoping to avoid a strike.
BU prepares to bring in replacement workers
BU sent emails to graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, staff, and parents Tuesday saying the strike was imminent and that it is “finalizing plans to ensure continuity of University operations.”
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“If the union does go on strike, although we may need to make adjustments to teaching staff and courses, we expect — and will do everything we can — to ensure your education proceeds smoothly,” interim University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Kenneth Lutchen said in the email to undergraduate students.
Departments are able to arrange for replacement workers while graduate students are on strike, the school’s Office of the Provost said. The university is planning to withhold pay from graduate student workers who participate in the strike.
BUGWU has filed five unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board for what it says is the school’s failure to provide “essential information needed to identify graduate workers in the bargaining unit.”
BU maintains that it has negotiated in good faith, meeting with representatives on 15 occasions, including on Monday. The university said it has offered an increase in PhD student stipends, paying for MBTA passes, and a dental insurance plan in its negotiations.
“The students in BUGWU are also our students, and we care deeply about their success and working life at Boston University and seek to create conditions that will support their progress,” Lutchen said in an email to parents Tuesday. “We have made significant offers that we hope will lead to a resolution, including improved stipend payments, dental insurance option, and better subsidies for public transportation.”
Union says BU has not met workers’ needs
Despite this, BUGWU has said the school has yet to meet their needs, especially in a city with rising housing costs.
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“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.”
“Two years ago, I had a medical emergency that cost me thousands of dollars and took many months to address,” said Maggie Boyd, a worker in the English department, in a statement. “I strive to provide the best education possible for my students, and I need to make sure I am healthy enough to do that.”
Workers are planning to kick off the strike with a rally at Marsh Plaza on March 25.
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