The union hopes to settle a contract with the college that provides equitable compensation for all RAs, particularly those who receive financial aid.

On Friday afternoon, the Barnard Resident Assistants Union (OPEIU Local 153) held a rally outside of Barnard Hall. The rally comes eight months after the union began bargaining with the college. Current RAs and student supporters attended the rally alongside members of the original bargaining committee who have since graduated.

Several members of the union wore Barnard RA t-shirts given to them during fall move-in that read “Move-In Staff: Ask Me, I’m An RA” on the back, and to which the students had added “How Does Barnard Exploit Student Workers?” in red on the front. They sang along to Rihanna’s “B**** Better Have My Money,” before leading chants including, “No pay, no RAs,” and “Don’t wait, compensate.”

Emcees Nina Goldschmid (BC ‘24) and Marlee Montgomery (BC ‘26), both current RAs, introduced the union, its history, and its goals. 

The Barnard RAs first began organizing in May 2022 in response to a 70-hour work week and a lack of meal plans for RAs attending summer training. When the group met with Barnard administration to attempt to find a solution, Goldschmid said that they were “belittled.” After the RAs informed administration that they were prepared to strike if needed, the College agreed to provide them with a meal plan. Compensation and hours remained the same.

The Barnard RAs began the process of unionization last fall, shortly followed by the Columbia University Resident Advisers (CURA) Collective. At the time of its inception in October 2022, Barnard declined to voluntarily recognize the Union. The Barnard RAs held an NLRB election in November 2022, and with 96% support, officially unionized under OPEIU Local 153. 

As several of the speakers at today’s rally emphasized, the Union’s major goal has been, and continues to be, equitable compensation for all of the Barnard RAs. All RAs receive no-cost room and board; however, because financial aid is need-based, RAs who already receive aid receive much lower reductions to their bills, or see their aid packages lowered. In practice, the Union says, this means students on financial aid are not compensated equally to those who are not. In fact, during the rally Montgomery said that RAs on financial aid sometimes end up with nearly the same net cost of attendance they would have faced if they were not RAs, with about a $2700 average stipend for the year, which comes out to an estimated $4.50 an hour. The minimum wage for Barnard student workers is $16 an hour.

Montgomery also discussed the Union’s recent bargaining sessions with Barnard, and subsequent compensation proposals. Specifically, Montgomery said Union proposed all students be given a cash stipend equal to room, board, and minimum wage for the hours worked, which the Union estimated would have amounted to around $22,000 per year. According to Montgomery, Barnard countered this proposal with an $11,200 stipend, just over half of the Union’s proposal. Montgomery said that under that plan, “we could not even pay [for] our housing.”

After Montgomery’s speech, the rally continued with several chants, including “Barnard, Barnard, hear our cry, pay us fair or say goodbye,” before shifting into additional student testimonials.

Abigail Fixel (BC ‘26) asked members of the rally to guess how much she was being compensated for the year, before revealing the answer was $100. “Barnard preaches liberal values,” said Fixel, “but fails to acknowledge they’ve been paying RAs inequitably.” 

The rally also included guest speakers from outside the Union, who spoke to the importance of RAs to the institution. “We are the glue that holds the undergraduate community together,” said Hannah Puelle (CC ‘25), who spoke on behalf of the CURA Collective. “We’re never really not working.” 

Since last year, organizing efforts by the Barnard RA Union have often happened parallel to similar efforts by the Columbia University Resident Advisers Collective, also known as CURA. In 2022, CURA, successfully organized for a new payment structure, resulting in uniform compensation regardless of financial aid status, an increased stipend, and an honorarium payment of $14,000 per year. CURA, which in May became the first independent RA union in the country, is similarly in the process of negotiating with Columbia. 

Barnard alumnae and former members of the Union’s original bargaining committee also spoke at today’s rally, including Aditi Misra (BC ‘23). “Students would not be able to move in if we did not do the work we’re doing,” said Misra. Misra also discussed summer training conditions, explaining that RAs have to fill out up to 72 Room Condition Reports before students move in, on top of a 9 to 5 training schedule.

The rally later moved to the area in front of Milbank, where officers guarded the building’s entrance. “Hurry, hurry, Rosenbury,” students chanted, followed by “Rosenbury, time to lead, pay RAs, it’s what we need,” and “Barnard, we have been misled, we just want food and a bed!” 

In the coming weeks, the union will continue bargaining efforts in the hopes of settling a fair contract with the college. In the final speech of the afternoon, Montgomery repeated the union’s desire to engage the student body, arguing for “pressure from the student body” and from their parents.

“Through solidarity and through collective action… we will ratify a fair contract,” she finished, as the union headed to the Quad to continue chanting.

Image via Barnard RA Union