The Boston University Graduate Workers Union held a walkout and rally at Marsh Plaza today, as the union continues to demand better wages and working conditions from the University.
BUGWU has been on strike since March 25.
Nive Senthilvel, a student pursuing a doctorate in the College of Arts and Sciences and graduate teaching fellow, said the walkout comes prior to a bargaining session between the union and BU for this upcoming Friday, Sept. 6.
“We wanted to make sure that BU and the whole BU community knows that we are still out here after almost six months, that we are still fighting for the things that we are fighting for,” Senthilvel said.
In addition to slow progress at the bargaining table, tensions between the administration and the union have been escalating since Aug. 30, when BU officials called the police during graduate orientation to stop workers from distributing flyers and protesting, threatening them with arrest.
District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon pledged her support for the union in a speech while urging the University to negotiate “in good faith.”
“This is the second most unaffordable, the second most expensive housing market in the whole country,” Breadon said. “You can’t live and work in Boston without earning a fair wage.”
Meiya Sparks Lin, a student pursuing a doctorate in the English department and graduate teaching fellow, felt the effects of these living expenses when her landlord raised her monthly rent by $350, and she couldn’t afford it with her salary provided by BU.
“We can’t keep up with the increase in cost of living prices in Boston,” Lin said. “Every year we take a pay cut because our rent raises more than our stipend.”
Zach Coto, a student pursuing a doctorate in biology, spoke at the rally about the “commonalities” graduate workers across different departments found through unionizing. He said the union took these similarities into account when negotiating.
On Aug. 7, BU proposed a contract including minimum stipends for students within the five-year funding guarantee and a five-year contract to raise stipends by 3% every year. The University also proposed 14 weeks of paid childcare leave for new parents, childcare subsidy, a fund for emergency needs and an assessment system to improve Disability and Access Services.
“The University is committed to reaching an agreement with the graduate student union,” BU Spokesperson Colin Riley said in a statement to The Daily Free Press.
At the following negotiation session on Aug. 22, BUGWU brought forward 18 counter proposals to the proposed Aug. 7 contract. However, BU refused to offer a counter, according to Lin.
“We appreciate the movement that BU has shown, but it was really disappointing on Aug. 22 that they refused to tentatively agree to articles that we met their language on, and that they continue to drag their feet when we really just want to get back to the classrooms,” Lin said.
Senthilvel also criticized the lack of professionalism from the BU bargaining team, stating that summer negotiations with BU administration were “not very productive,” despite the union’s continued momentum.
“[The BU bargaining team] would routinely show up to the Zoom late, unprepared, and generally did not meet the task at hand with professionalism and the respect that we deserve,” she said.
As the negotiations continue, BU has informed the union it has a new package deal ready for discussion this Friday.
“BU can absolutely meet our demands … [I]t’s simply that BU chooses not to,” Lin said. “We’re here to tell them, ‘Meet our demands, and we’ll go back to the classroom.’”
