Wesleyan Student Workers’ Union Wins Voluntarily Recognition

Residential Life student staff at Wesleyan University formed the Wesleyan Union of Student Employees last week, becoming the first confirmed union of undergraduate student workers in the country to be voluntarily recognized by their university. They join their colleagues at Wesleyan’s physical plant in becoming members of OPEIU Local 153.

The union of student workers, called WesUSE, requested voluntary recognition from Wesleyan leadership on March 6, 2022. Before requesting recognition, the union had gotten signed authorization cards from 84% of ResLife employees, and filed a petition that received over one thousand signatures from students, alumni, faculty, and elected officials.

Ruby Clarke, a community advisor and sophomore at Wesleyan, said that before unionizing, the school failed to pay proper attention to student workers’ needs. “In fall of 2020, there was a rise in [COVID] cases on campus, and students were advised to leave early. But ResLife staffers were forced to stay on campus. And over thirty-five student workers signed a petition asking for hazard pay. And the school said no, and they gave out fuzzy socks instead,” Clarke said. “I think moments like that, and that insensitivity, really speak to the way administrators haven’t really listened to the concerns of students.”

ResLife employees let students in when they’re locked out, facilitate evacuations during fire alarms, interface with physical plant staff when necessary, hold educational events, and even help students during mental health crises—at all hours. Many are low-income students who rely on their pay to afford Wesleyan. Yet the highest-paid ResLife worker earns less than fifty percent of what Wesleyan charges them for room and board. “I was talking with people who are in charge at the Office of Student Employment, and I let them know that not a single student who works for ResLife is compensated for their full housing allotment, and they were shocked,” Clarke said. “At a lot of colleges, ResLife staff don’t have to pay for housing at all.”

With their union recognized, however, Clarke believes Wesleyan administrators are finally paying attention. “During our first meeting with the admin and staff, the way they treated us was totally different,” Clarke said. “It felt really powerful.”