Resident assistants have not yet received reappointment forms as the university considers changing aspects of the role in order to reduce RA responsibilities. The yet-to-be-announced changes come as the United Labor of Tufts Resident Assistants prepares to bargain for a new contract, as the existing one expires this summer.
Geena Kumaran, president of ULTRA, said that communication between the union and administration was “weak,” and that a meeting between Zach Tepper, the associate director for residential education, and several RAs implied that large-scale alterations were being considered.
“[Tepper] was essentially saying they are restructuring the role,” Kumaran said. “What he was insinuating was that the role was going to be divided into this new role plus something else where housing was guaranteed but … they wouldn’t be covering the cost of living on campus.”
Kumaran said that the administration wants to thin out RA responsibilities and limit the overall scope of the role.
David Hamer-Hodges, director of organizing and first contracts under the Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 153, explained that planning such changes before bargaining, such as overhauling the RA position or removing covered housing, is unlawful.
“Those are all mandatory subjects of bargaining under the National Labor Relations Act, which means they can’t unilaterally change that,” Hamer-Hodges said. “[The administration has] been doing what’s called direct dealing, which is against the law.”
An RA with knowledge of the negotiations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said this climate has made planning for next year difficult.
“We have been told to operate ‘as if the position didn’t exist’ and to ‘do what is best for ourselves,’” they said. “This timing definitely feels suspicious, since we are bargaining our second-ever contract as a union later this year.”
Kumaran also said the lack of communication has created stress among RAs over whether to sign a lease for next year, sign up for the housing lottery or wait for a reappointment form. Moreover, withdrawing from the lottery incurs a $750 fee, which has created additional stress.
However, after a meeting between Kumaran and several administrators, the Office of Residential Life & Learning said the fee could be waived on a reach-out basis.
The potential for major changes comes as ULTRA enters a bargaining year. The current contract mandates that RAs receive a $1,425 stipend per semester in addition to housing and 80 meal swipes.
RA Quinn Karm highlighted that an increase in the number of meal swipes and the stipend could be on the table when negotiations begin.
“I would love to see a stipend increase. I think that fighting for as much as we can get there is valuable … and 80 swipes is nothing, it’s impossible to get by with that [amount] without spending more money on a meal plan,” Karm said.
Another concern going into bargaining is that the university may try to integrate non-unionized peer orientation leaders into RA’s duties.
“When we went on strike two years ago they had to have someone in the dorms, and they contracted student life workers,” Kumaran said. “I feel like it’s another example of how the university is going to prioritize contracting non-union workers over union workers.”
According to Hamer-Hodges, any change in the RA role, including reducing the role, is a mandatory subject of bargaining and a violation could result in the filing of an Unfair Labor Practice charge to the National Labor Relations Board. When RAs went on strike during freshman move-in in 2023, they filed a ULP, which can grant key protections and result in sizable fines for the university.
“This talk of getting rid of the position and changing these things unilaterally is enough to constitute a ULP,” Kumaran said. “Filing [a] ULP also gives us a really unique advantage of being able to go on a ULP strike, which is more protected than a normal strike.”
Currently, the contract between ULTRA and the university has a “no strike, no lockout” clause which dictates that the union cannot strike and the university cannot lock RAs out of their rooms during negotiations. A ULP charge would nullify the clause.
Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, asserted the university’s commitment to bargaining in good faith in a statement to the Daily but did not comment on any specifics.
“Out of respect for union members and the bargaining process, we will not comment about specific proposals in the press before introducing them at the bargaining table,” Collins wrote.
Despite greater uncertainty about the RA role, Karm reaffirmed optimism for a positive outcome.
“The bargaining committee does still feel hope for the process, and we trust that at the end of the day the administration is going to look after its students and look after its employees,” Karm said.
The anonymous RA also stated, “RAs are an important part of the residential experience at Tufts, and this lack of transparency honestly makes it feel like the university does not respect or value our contributions.”
Hamer-Hodges urged RAs to ignore rumors and remain involved with the union.
“I would just encourage those folks that right now have just been hearing rumors and feeling uncomfortable and maybe feeling a little scared, to engage with their stewards [and] engage with their union and get involved,” Hamer-Hodges said.
