UMich ResStaff vote to unionize in 141-8 vote

In a 141-8 vote, University of Michigan Residence Staff voted in favor of unionization, declaring the group as the ResStaff Allied Organization. The election took place during Residence Staff training, with one voting session Monday and another on Thursday. With this decision, the unit will be able to bargain with University administration on behalf of the Residential Advisors, Diversity Peer Educators and Restaff Coordinators. Results are expected to be confirmed next week by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.

On April 8, lead organizers announced they had collected more than 100 union cards,  meaning more than 100 RAs, DPEs and RSCs had voiced support for the RAO. According to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, this qualified the RAO for a union election which organizers subsequently filed for on April 10. 

According to a press release, RAO and U-M administration finalized details regarding a union election on Aug. 5. Rising LSA senior Mark Tallents, a lead organizer for the organization, said he has been in contact with the administration for four months. 

“This election has come after a year of organizing work by the RAO because we feel that as the representatives of the residential communities on campus, that we deserve a voice in the policies in our dorms, and we also deserve more of democratic communities,” Tallents said. “And on top of that, we also think that we deserve more support.”

For the RAO to be considered a union, they needed a majority vote. With a 95% vote in favor of unionizing, RAs exceeded the required 51% to pass. Now, the RAO will focus on their tentative platform, which includes universal pay stipends, legal harassment protections and support mechanisms, just-cause termination protections and free laundry for all residents. 

Rising LSA senior Cole Doyle, a second-year RA, said she hopes RAO will bring a voice to the decision-making table to work towards these issues.

“I think that there is a lack of power and voice,” Doyle said. “So when we’re having issues with things like, termination, … instances where RACs or other RAs are getting terminated and you don’t even know why or what happened … they’re the kind of policies that aren’t set in place now, and that’s definitely something that we can ask for.” 

Doyle said she felt it was clear that the RA position was different from other campus jobs, which brought her to organizing. 

“I got involved with RAO stuff because just from the get go it was kind of clear that it was different from other University jobs, just because of the way that pay works and the way that compensation works with housing,” Doyle said.

For rising Public Health senior Alyssa Caldito, this upcoming year will be her third serving as an RA. Caldito said she is frustrated with U-M administration, but she returns each year because of financial necessity. 

“Every year, the training has been different,” Caldito said. “They change everything. They expect us to drop everything two weeks before school starts and listen to their new policies, and they expect us to just abide by them. But I need this job, so I stay.”

Caldito said she picked up a ballot during her lunch break Thursday because she wants a voice in central housing administration’s decisions. 

“I’ve noticed in my own experiences as an RA, and with my peers, (we) have had a lot of issues with how housing (staff) is treated, certain incidents that they’ve been a part of, or how housing has failed to protect them in certain ways,” Caldito said. “Our own experiences as ResStaff for better, for worse, have been affected by decisions that central housing makes without our say.”

While the majority of RAs who voted chose yes, many RAs were doubtful of the process and how it could affect their positions. Caldito said she has heard from RAs who are afraid of unionizing. 

“A lot of people are scared about their jobs — if there’s any repercussions to unionizing and what it means for them,” Caldito said. 

Rising Engineering junior Eric Giles is entering his second year as an RA in Stockwell Residence Hall. As one of the first people to vote to unionize Monday evening, Giles said he hopes the union will better represent ResStaff.

“I think it will bring a balance … it’ll be good to have a conversation with both sides to have a representation (of ResStaff),” Giles said.

In an email to The Michigan Daily, University spokesperson Colleen Mastony wrote that the MERC will confirm official results next week, and the University administration will respect this process.

“Voting concluded today on a prospective union to represent students working in University of Michigan residence halls,” Mastony wrote. “The Michigan Employment Relations Commission is expected to provide official election results next week. The university respects the process and, if the effort passes, will work in good faith with the union toward a collective bargaining agreement.”

Tallents said the RAO will work to build the union during the upcoming year. 

“We’re going to be working collectively over the next weeks to build our union structure, our bargaining platform and our team, and making sure we’re supporting ResStaff, residents and communities as we eventually move into bargaining,” Tallents said.

Summer Digital Managing Editor Sneha Dhandapani can be reached at sdhanda@umich.edu.

The post UMich ResStaff vote to unionize in 141-8 vote appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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