With the Resident Assistant Union set to enter its fourth month of bargaining with Drexel University administrators, progress on its first contract has been slow, but “[we are] hopeful that if Drexel cooperates and comes to sessions prepared, we could have a contract completed by December,” the union commented.
Since the official union ratification in April, the groundwork was laid for acknowledgment by Drexel and the collective bargaining process. This process, regulated by the National Labor Relations Board, has been ongoing since the first bargaining session on July 31. Per the union, a 22-article collective bargaining contract was proposed to Drexel beforehand.
At time of writing, the union stated that nine articles constitute “tentative agreements” approved by the university. These include recognition of the union, structure of the union, separability of the articles, holiday times, a summer housing option, a non-discrimination policy for union members, health and safety, terms of employment and leave of absence terms.
Two primary victories among these are the summer housing option for RAs in classes or co-op. The university has tentatively agreed to offer such RAs accommodations in a residence hall for less than $2,500.
Second, the health and safety agreement includes the right of an RA “to walk away from an event that is damaging to their mental health, rather than serving as a first responder.” The union clarified that “this would be attempted suicides and similar incidents.”
However, two important articles have been rejected by university negotiators: an explicit job description that clearly defines the role and responsibilities of RAs and control over building placement by Housing & Residence Life – two of the union’s principal demands.
Union negotiators have been underwhelmed by the pace of the sessions, citing Drexel’s apparent unpreparedness: “We usually send them all the articles we plan on talking about a week in advance to give them time to review and come prepared to discuss, and they often have not read it and ask us to leave the room so they can talk about it,” the union remarked.
The union contends that up to half of each session may be spent waiting for administrators to “get organized.”
In the meantime, RAs have faced setbacks, with the unexpected closure of North Hall in response to low enrollment causing multiple committed RAs to have their job offers rescinded, leaving them unemployed and unhoused on short notice.
The RA Union is organized through Officeworkers and Professional Employees International Union Local 153 and is being represented in negotiations by Scott Williams and John Edmans of Local 153 in addition to RA delegates. Drexel’s negotiators have not been named but are presumed to be Housing and Residence Life professional staff.