University RAs Unanimously Approve Three-Year Contract
BU’s Residence Life Union unanimously ratified a three-year contract that will pay RAs a first-for-BU stipend of $1,700 per semester, while continuing to provide them with free housing. Photo by Kate Kotlyar (COM ’26)
University RAs Unanimously Approve Three-Year Contract
They’ll receive a $1,700 stipend per semester, free meals, continued free housing
Boston University’s Residence Life Union has unanimously ratified a three-year contract that will pay a first-for-BU stipend of $1,700 per semester to residence assistants (RAs).
Last month’s approval by those who voted among the union’s 300 members—part of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 509—also ensures continuation of the University’s provision of free housing to all RAs. And all RAs will receive free meals, previously available only to those based in dormitories. The stipend begins with the current semester.
The union did not specify the votes for and against the contract.
RAs are sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students who often are the first responders for housing problems, such as student or roommate conflicts and campus crises. Their responsibilities include addressing residence hall rules and building a tight-knit community within their residence hall. RAs’ compensation includes free housing, valued between approximately $11,000 and $20,000.
When the University and union negotiators agreed to the contract, pending members’ approval, last month after nine months of bargaining, Jason Campbell-Foster, dean of students, said of the now-ratified agreement, “The way in which this contract came to be was only possible because of the open-mindedness and advocacy of the students, and also their willingness to negotiate with management for a contract that is reasonable and fair to both parties. They brought passion, they brought seriousness, they were respectful, they listened to the reasons why we may not have been able to accept certain requests. This was truly, from our perspective, the best way to get to an agreement.”
The new contract’s other provisions include a grace period for RAs whose grade point average falls below the level required of them, during which time they can try to raise their grades before the University considers dismissing them as RAs. The agreement also requires both sides to withdraw pending complaints against the other before the National Labor Relations Board.
Students celebrated the vote on Instagram, where the union wrote, “Congratulations to BU ResLife workers who have ratified their first contract with a 100% yes vote! When we fight, we win!”
Kira Levenson (SPH’24), who worked as a graduate resident assistant in Warren Towers from 2022 to 2024, added, “For those who came before, for those now, and for those who will come after us—huge huge milestone.”
About 75 of the union’s members staged a weeklong strike during the negotiations that overlapped with part of the September 2024 Move-in, with most strikers returning to work after BU announced that it would charge them for their rooms, and in some cases for meals, while they were not fulfilling their duties as campus RAs.
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