Representative Ayanna Pressley joins Boston University graduate workers strike

By Olivia Flanz

On Monday, 3000 Boston University graduates who teach and work for the school went on strike due to BU’s failure to reach terms on a new contract agreement. Boston University Graduate Workers Union (BUGWU) is protesting for more secure benefits from the school. This includes better pay and health care coverage. Work stipends for graduate students range from $27,000 to $40,000 per year, which the union has argued is far from the minimum needed for living in the city.

Massachusetts representative Ayanna Pressley joined the BUGWU rally outside Marsh Chapel on Commonwealth Ave.

The congresswoman defended the students, saying, “They are deserving of a contract that is representative of the contributions that they make.”

In response to the strike, Boston University put out a statement saying, “We value our graduate students and their many contributions to teaching and research and will continue to address their needs through the collective bargaining process. At the same time, we are concerned about the strike’s impact on teaching, research, and the lives of thousands of other students, and we are working to minimize that disruption … We remain committed to improving the lives of our graduate students through negotiations and hope that process will bring the strike to an end quickly.”

Even after nine months of negotiation between BUGWU and the university, the union leaders stated that the members are willing to go on strike for as long as it takes necessary to reach the contract agreement they want.