Union Bosses at WPI Push Strike Over Supposedly “Drastic” Changes in Job Descriptions
At Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), union officials with WPI‑RAU and the United Auto Workers (UAW) are leading a strike that threatens key student services and campus housing support—but the bigger issue may be what happens to resident advisors (RAs) who refuse to go along with union demands.
While union leaders claim the dispute centers on alleged “drastic restructuring” of RA job descriptions, that narrative obscures a more serious concern: RA students may be terminated from their positions if they do not comply with union requirements, including paying union dues or fees and supporting union-led actions. For students who rely on their RA roles to offset tuition, housing, or living expenses, losing that position could make attending WPI financially untenable.
RAs are not just campus employees—they are students first. Their work involves responding to mental health crises, addressing alcohol-related incidents, and providing peer mentorship in residence halls. When union officials call a strike, it is these students—and the peers who depend on them—who bear the immediate consequences. Yet unwilling RAs may be pressured or effectively bullied into compliance, with the implicit threat that refusal could jeopardize both their employment and their education.
WPI’s willingness to recognize and work with the union raises further concerns about whether the institution is adequately protecting individual students’ rights. Allowing union officials to leverage students’ housing and financial stability as bargaining tools undermines free will and places vulnerable students in an impossible position: comply or risk losing the ability to afford college. Faculty and staff need to keep this in mind: When union bosses call for disruption, no individual employee is required to participate. Under the Janus decision, public-sector workers have the right to resign from their union and stop paying dues—freeing themselves from strike mandates and political campaigns led by union leadership.
Source: Working Mass
For more information on your rights as an employee regarding unions, visit Know Your Rights.
