Rose Hill RAs File for Unionization

By MARYAM BESHARA News Editor

Resident Assistants (RAs) at Fordham’s Rose Hill (FRH) campus announced their plan to unionize in an Instagram post shared on Feb. 1. The union was formed as a result of the RAs reporting complaints of mistreatment from the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) and is calling for recognition, support, fair pay, respect and sufficient resources.

“We are tired of no pay, and a lack of respect and communication,” the FRH RAs commented in their announcement on Instagram.

The RAs made a petition available to the public on the same day as their union announcement. According to the petition, the FRH RAs are a part of a growing movement of RAs from universities — such as Barnard College, Tufts University and Wesleyan University — to unionize.

The letter within the petition noted that 76% of the nearly 100 FRH RAs have come together to create the union. As of Feb. 8, the petition reached its goal of 100 signatures and established a new goal of 200.

The RAs are currently represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153. OPEIU Local 153 is a trade union that represents a variety of employees across different workplaces, including colleges and universities.

Scott Williams, an organizer for the FRH RA union who works for OPEIU Local 153, said that working alongside the RAs has been “an honor.” He emphasized their determination to improve FRH ResLife, shown by how they assumed responsibility of organizing a union.

“The Fordham RA Union is an incredible, powerful group of workers who join a growing national movement of undergrads who are organizing for more respect, communication and fair compensation,” he said.

Williams added that the RAs have been able to unionize due to the overwhelming support they have received from their coworkers and residents.

What Are the RA Union’s Demands?

According to the university’s website, the Rose Hill RA position is a 10-monthlong position that begins in August and ends in May. It requires a range of leadership roles that include administrative responsibilities, on-duty rotation expectations, event programming, reporting damage to university property, and ensuring the security of residents. These responsibilities resulted in FRH RAs calling on the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) to provide them with more support.

One RA, a student at Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24 who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from ResLife, shared that they knew of the RAs wanting to unionize since the fall 2022 semester and added that related conversations have been in progress for at least a couple of months.