Get involved
You — yes, you — have the power to help win increased wages, dental insurance, workload protections, and so much more. We’ve tried asking BU for all these things and asking alone doesn’t work. Negotiations by other grad unions have taught us that we can only win a strong contract if we have mass participation and take collective action.
Grad workers are busy, but you can make a difference with even a few moments of your time. Here are some ways you can take action today:
Coming soon:
- Attend the next general membership meeting
- Attend the next contract bargaining session
- Sign your membership card to join the union
Identity- and Issue-Based Caucuses
To meet the needs of all grad workers, we have formed caucuses that advocate for change and build community around specific identities and/or issues. You can join one today! If you want to start a caucus around an identity or issue that isn’t currently represented, reach out to CiCi Yu via Slack or email (xyu119 [at] gmail.com)
To join, send an email to bu.bgswc[at]gmail.com
We are a group of grad workers with lived experiences with disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence, mental health/illness, and more. Please email Katie Meyer at katie.meyer08[at]gmail.com if you’d like to join our Zoom meetings and/or private Slack channel. She will not disclose your name to anyone.
We are a group of international students from every school and department at BU. We get together every two weeks to share our concerns, build community, and organize to make a better BU for us all. All BU grads are welcome to join our meetings, social events, and WhatsApp group. Please contact Jaira Koh at kohjaira[at]gmail.com or fill out this survey to connect with us.
We gather to talk about how our identities as Latinx and Asian American people influence our development as students and grad workers at BU. We are looking to create monthly multicultural and multilingual meetups to share art and food. Please contact Sara Ladino Cano at saraladino53[at]gmail.com and CiCi Yu at xyu119[at]gmail.com for information.
The parent and caregiver caucus is focused on building community and identifying and addressing issues for grad workers at BU who are parents or other caregivers. We have regular meetings and would love to hear from more parents and caregivers! Contact Karen Stewart at karen.stewart[at]gmail.com for more information or to get involved.
We are a group of queer grad students that focus on:
Ensuring our organizing efforts effectively represent the concerns of all queer grad students at BU
Fostering a sense of community and solidarity between queer grad students across BU
We have a mailing list and private Slack channel for meeting reminders, meeting notes, and asynchronous conversations outside of meetings. Reach out to Devlin Moyer on Slack or via email at devmoy[at]gmail.com to join the meetings, mailing list, or the private Slack channel for meeting reminders, meeting notes, and asynchronous conversations outside of meetings.
To join, send an email to caseygrippo[at]gmail.com
We are graduate students at BU who come from backgrounds without significant familial academic or financial support. We intend to fight for additional financial and social support for graduate students, including emergency funding for unexpected life and work-related expenses, as well as funding for moving expenses for incoming graduate students. Please reach out to Ryan Marshall (marshallryand[at]gmail.com) if you would like to join or if you have any ideas or questions.
Reach out to CiCi Yu via slack or email xyu119 [at] gmail.com
Working Groups
Graduate student workers run BUGWU at every level. If you have suggestions or ideas and even a little bit of time, join the organizing committee! Joining a team requires no formal commitment. If you’re interested in any of these groups, reach out to any union representative. Come build your union by joining:
- Working groups
- Communications: keep grad workers informed by updating the website, writing the newsletter, making fliers and graphics, social media, etc.
- Education and Absorption: inform grad workers about union-related topics and strategize ways to get more workers involved
- Community organizing: build support with faculty, staff, undergrads, Bostonians, other unions, and the world
- Collective Action Team: responsible for shaping our escalation strategy around contract bargaining and coordinating it with our working groups
- Article teams: research and draft articles for a contract proposal