The Emerson College Resident Assistants Win NLRB Election in Unanimous Vote

BOSTON — At 3p.m. ET on Jan. 24, 2024, the Emerson College Union for Resident Assistants (EURA), affiliated with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153, won their union election; voting unanimously in favor of the union. 

The RAs at Emerson began organizing in order to increase pay and improve working conditions and policies around training, student worker help-seeking policies, rehiring and break duty. Their newly formed union aims to foster a collaborative and supportive environment for RAs across Emerson College to address common concerns, advocate for improved working conditions, and enhance the overall residential experience for the institution’s students.

“We’ve been working toward winning this election since November,” Sophie Severs, a second year RA and member of EURA’s organizing committee shares. “It has been incredible to connect with RAs from all across Emerson’s campus under this shared goal. The excitement is palpable and while we know there is much work to do, we’re going to revel in this shared victory for both the RA community and the campus’ residential life as a whole.” 

EURA is the eighth group of RAs to unionize with OPEIU Local 153 since 2022, including RAs at Wesleyan, Barnard, Fordham, UPenn, Tufts, Rensselaer Polytechnic, and Swarthmore. They are also the first group of unionized student workers at Emerson College.

“The Emerson College Resident Assistants are the latest in the student res-life worker union wave to win their election,” says Sam Heyne, an organizer with OPEIU Local 153. “These workers create so much value for their colleges and universities — shepherding freshmen through their first year away from home, cultivating community on their residential floors and acting as mentors, first responders in mental health emergencies and conflict mediators. Yet the majority of RAs need to work an additional 2-3 jobs just to afford to stay in school. These workers deserve to be compensated fairly for their labor, and they deserve to have a say in the workplace policies that affect their livelihoods.”

Now officially recognized as a union by Emerson, EURA OPEIU 153 is eager to begin contract negotiations with the College. 

“We are looking forward to the bargaining process,” says Casper Apodaca, a third year RA and member of EURA’s organizing committee. “Now that we have won our union, we will be able to start the bargaining process. This will allow RAs to work directly with Emerson to form a contract that will help restructure the RA role. We want to make the RA position more equitable for future RAs that step into the role while also preserving the parts of the job that we love, and we believe that collective bargaining will help bring meaningful change to this role.”

You can follow the Emerson RAs on instagram: @EURA_153.