Word: ras
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They are the staff sergeants and big siblings of dorm life. They live in that large room down the hall, telling younger students, "It's the third building on the right" or "Now cut that out!" These resident assistants (RAs) are rarely the biggest stars on campus--but now at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, they have the most muscle. Union muscle, that is. At Umass-Amherst, RAs may be stashing their Strokes CDs and joining in a chorus of Solidarity Forever...
...Dissent: RAs Are Workers...
...workers, including RAs, have a right to collective bargaining to effect changes when they see fit. The Massachusetts Labor Relations Committee affirmed that right just a month ago. It’s time for UMass to recognize its responsibilities as an employer and stop unfairly threatening its employees...
Undergraduate RAs perform a job in the most fundamental sense of the word. On top of their responsibilities as students, RAs live apart from their peers in dorms among underclass students, providing what amounts to roughly 20 hours a week of service. They are responsible for overseeing the well-being of students, providing guidance, keeping drunk students in order, and even mopping up after rowdy parties...
UMass pays students for doing this job; this compensation amounts to wages for services rendered. The question is whether the university would ever allow unsupervised residential life. Without undergraduate RAs, the university would be forced to hire graduate students or adults for undoubtedly higher wages. If UMass wishes to continue to save money, it must also be willing to sit down at the negotiating table and address the grievances of its student employees...