UPenn Resident Assistants Organize for Union Recognition with OPEIU 153
Philadelphia, PA - Today, a supermajority of Resident and Graduate Resident Assistants at the University of Pennsylvania have signed onto a petition to file for union recognition with OPEIU-153. President Elizabeth Magill and the Penn administration have been notified of the student workers' efforts to form a union demand that the University commits to neutrality in the process to receive recognition. This unionization effort marks a historic first for student workers on Penn’s campus and joins a recent wave of student worker union campaigns.
University of Pennsylvania Resident Assistants and Graduate Resident Assistants (RA/GRAs) are student workers who have been hired by the University to live in a College House and provide counseling, academic support, supervision and activities for student residents. RAs are integral to campus life but are consistently undervalued and unpaid. RAs are organizing for increased and fair compensation, better communication, and a more democratic workplace — when RAs are supported, so is the entire Penn community.
Resident Assistants are provided inadequate compensation and benefits for their labor. Although College House and Academic Services (CHAS) claims that RAs are required to spend 15-20 hours a week on the job, student workers have seen the position exceed reasonable expectations often outlined in their contract. RAs have seen their responsibilities as student workers become an overwhelming, 24/7 job. There is little uniformity in the responsibilities outlined for RAs across the College Houses, limited avenues to express workplace safety concerns without retaliation, and restrictions placed on additional employment opportunities. To maintain their jobs, RAs are required to stay on campus through weekends and holidays, attend weekly mandatory staff meetings, hold 1-on-1 counseling sessions with each of their residents, design and create monthly bulletin boards, respond to emergencies, organize weekly hall events, and work overnight shifts in addition to their academic responsibilities.
“I love being an RA. I love forming community with my residents, getting to know them, and helping them to bond with one another and grow as individuals. That said, the RA role is still a job, and a difficult one at that. It is hours of planning, organizing, and emotional output that goes largely uncompensated. I believe that it is important for us to unionize so that RAs as a collective can have the ability to advocate for ourselves and our needs. If we are going to improve our working environment and get the compensation that we need, we need to have a stronger voice, and we can get there collectively with a union.”
-Madeleine Riley, University of Pennsylvania Resident Assistant
For students who are on financial aid, many of which are first-generation and low-income, have their college grant reduced or work-study replaced as an RA while their family contributions remain the same — low-income students receive less compensation than their wealthier peers. When an RA is assigned an extra shift, has to support a resident in crisis, or covers for a sick colleague, there is no additional compensation or support. Many students take on the RA job as a means of financial assistance to allow them to attend a University that has a cost of attendance greater than $85,000 a year.
“I was excited to become an RA and needed to become one. More true than not, graduate students become RAs for financial reasons. The University of Penn is taking advantage of those that need the most help. After living here for a year, I realized the money the school is saving is not even going into the building. I am fortunate to have free housing, but at what cost? Elevators are always broken in a 25-floor building, constant plumbing and leakage issues, and the lack of urgency for students’ concerns about the building’s safety. All RAs deserve to be fairly compensated and have good living conditions.”
-Brianna Phipps, University of Pennsylvania Graduate Resident Assistant
Resident Assistants are calling upon fellow students, faculty, and community members to support the efforts of United RAs at Penn. The campaign is circulating a letter and petition to gather support.
“The work that RAs do is vital—building community, supporting residents in times of both crisis and growth. It’s also more challenging and even more important for us because we are the generation of students who have been impacted by the social isolation of the pandemic. That’s why we need compensation that reflects the importance of our work and we need an influential, democratic voice, and only a union can give us that. I hope that Penn administration, faculty, and students all recognize the importance of our role in residential life and support our effort to build a stronger, more fair and democratic workplace.”
-Mica Lin-Alves, University of Pennsylvania Resident Assistant
Through the process of unionizing, Resident Assistants look forward to making their workplace, and the broader Penn living and learning experience, better for all.
Follow their campaign on Instagram!