Bucknell RAs win NLRB election 74-2!

Today, Bucknell Resident Advisors won their union election with 97% voting yes, successfully joining OPEIU Local 153. 

“I’m so proud of all the work that the RAs at Bucknell have done. It’s so amazing to see that everyone has come together to make their voices heard on campus. I can’t wait for the bargaining process to get started and to see all of our hard work come to fruition.” -Grace Garvey ‘25, Bucknell RA 

“Change has been long promised by the university, and long-postponed. It is time for Bucknell RAs to have their voices heard and for something to be done. We are tired of talking, and ready for action.” -Brooke Corpuz ‘24, Bucknell RA

“I’m so glad to have a union and finally feel as though I have a voice within my own employment. As a collective, we can now work to better our conditions and better the conditions of those who come after us. I’m grateful for everyone who has had a hand in this union, and I am looking forward for whats next!”  -Bryce Merry ‘25, Bucknell RA

Following the vote, Bucknell RAs will work to develop proposals to best represent the interests of all RAs to bring to the negotiations table. 

“Resident Advisors play a critical role in the well-being of all students at Bucknell. It’s time for their work to be fairly compensated and for their voice to be heard,” says Scott Williams, organizer with OPEIU 153. “They join a growing movement of student workers who are exercising their rights as employees and joining an increasingly youthful labor movement.”

Bucknell RAs are the ninth group of RAs to unionize with OPEIU Local 153 since 2022, including RAs at Wesleyan, Barnard, Fordham, UPenn, Tufts, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Swarthmore, and Emerson. These are the first student workers to unionize at Bucknell.