Cheers erupted as 11 Brandeis administrative staff exited the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center on Oct. 31. What was the reason for the excitement? The delivery of a photo petition to the Provost’s office reflecting the staff's wish to unionize. The office oversees the academic and administrative governance for Brandeis’ four schools, libraries, Rose Art Museum, research centers and academic support offices. 

That same day, administrative staff took a stand, formally submitting a petition with the National Labor Relation Board for a formal union election. The decision to file was in response to a string of financial decisions that impacted Brandeis employees. 

In March of 2024, the University announced that it would delay the merit increase for all staff members. This decision sparked outrage from many members of the community who had been relying on the increases and were shocked. Such a sudden decision initiated a quick response by frustrated employees. Working in collaboration with Service Employees International Union 888, staff members united and developed a petition “calling on the Brandeis administration to reverse its decision.” The petition received over 300 signatures from undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, facilities employees, alumni and community members. 

Merit increases were reinstated following demonstration and delivery of the petition to the Board of Trustees at the Wien Faculty Center on April 9. Frustration and outrage continued through the end of the 2023-2024 academic year as administrative members learned of the layoffs of approximately 60 of their colleagues in May of 2024. 

This “further galvanized our efforts” to form a union, said Lena Webb, an administrator in the Division of Sciences, in an email correspondence with The Justice on Oct. 30. She adds, “After a month of having lots and lots of conversations and having 60% of eligible employees sign authorization cards, we are ready to deliver the petition to the Provost's office.” According to Webb, 60% totals to approximately 135 University staff members.

The delivery of the Oct. 31 petition was accompanied by a rally taking place over the course of fifteen minutes in front of the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center. Speakers shared the floor, further explaining their mission and uniting the crowd. 

Academic Administrator of Social Science programs Eileen Kell was the first to share her story, stating “I had attended my first union meeting where I heard stories from staff who don’t enjoy the luxury of delaying paying their monthly rent for childcare, for this year’s 5.5% health insurance increase.” 

The increase in health insurance came as a surprise to others. “I think a lot of people actually probably don't know that if I'm going to be honest, which is not great,” said Webb during a post rally interview with The Justice, “That's something that should be clear so that people want to choose something different.”

Continuing on in response to the summer layoffs Kell stated, “The administrator showed an utter disregard for the contributions of this talented staff,” referring to individuals who have worked at Brandeis for “a decade or two or three or longer.” She explained that the elimination of more than 60 positions led her to meet with faculty who had “survived” the layoffs, and who she had never had the opportunity to connect with before. Kell stated, “They no longer believe that Brandeis is living up to the mission through them, through faculty, through staff and students to come here in the first place.”

In retrospect, the combination of layoffs and reinstatement of merit raises posed concerns for Webb. “It was cold comfort,” she said after the rally, adding “some of us were even like, ‘Oh my God, did we have to like lay people off to get that money back?’” 

Kell concluded her remarks on an optimistic note, stating, “I and my coworkers have learned, while we may have lost confidence in Brandeis administration, we have more reason than ever to place our confidence in each other.”

In attendance, showing support was Maric Kramer, a Social Sciences Librarian and a member of the Brandeis library union. She expressed her support for the new union, welcoming them to the SEIU 88 community. Kramer shared that the library worker union has organized for many years and participated in many contract negotiations. “We’re happy to talk to you and share what we’ve learned,” Kramer said, reaching out to the union hopefuls. “Together we’ll fight to ensure the University lives up to its own ideals of fairness and social justice as an employer, a momentous step and workers are stronger together.”

Continuing to show support, Lenny Donohoe, who has worked as a plumber at the University for over two decades, took the stand, representing SEIU 32BJ. He explained that “we finished negotiating our contract here at the end of September with the University. This was the seventh contract that I was involved in since being here at the University. I just want to say … we’re looking at a fair deal.” Donohoe went on to explain “we’re looking to be competitively paid the same as you guys, facilities, custodians, the grounds and the trades.” He then detailed that this has not always been the case, with trade workers at the University formerly being paid 70-80% of what other staff was making. Donohoe stated “I mean 70% doesn’t sound like a fair deal to me. 80% doesn’t sound like a fair deal. We want a fair deal and we deserve 100% of what we deserve.” 

Organizers wanted the atmosphere of the rally to be positive and supportive and the last speaker followed suit. Abby Walters, a research associate at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, expressed excitement for what's to come. 

“We have accomplished something historic today. We came together in collective public action to tell Brandeis that this is gonna be a union campus” Walters said. “We're going to keep showing our public support for each other. We're choosing each other because we know that we got each other's back.” 

Webb hopes that as administrative workers consider their vote, they ask themselves why they stay at Brandeis. “A lot of that is because of your coworkers and putting that trust in your coworkers and getting that power from your coworkers and with your coworkers,” she said. “This is a rare opportunity. We're exercising a right we currently have and I would get involved. We are stronger together.”

Now that organizers have gathered a super majority for a unionization effort, a vote by all eligible employees will be conducted. The hope is for a vote to take place in December, but organizers say there is no guarantee on that timeline.