1979 District 65 wins organizing drive at Boston University

The successful organizing drive of clerical workers at Boston University in 1978 was a result of the administration’s sudden introduction of a new pay system, which abolished fairness measures such as cost-of-living increases, and based wage hikes solely on merit. These changes were implemented in 1974; three years after an unsuccessful organizing drive that ended in an election loss.

In response to the workplace changes, workers formed the Staff Committee against the Merit Plan. Over the next several years, the Staff Committee would work with District 65 to form other committees that represented various parts of the workforce at BU. These committees would meet with workers one on one, gaining commitment and preparing them for anti-union rhetoric. The union achieved an election victory in 1978, but was forced to strike twice in 1979 before securing a contract. Despite all of their successes, the contract was poor, and required more organizing at the grassroots level to achieve significant gains.

The most troubling aspect of the contract was that workers had the option to not join the union. Members met on-on-one with workers who did not choose to affiliate, building up solidarity. Of the 850 member bargaining unit, membership rose from a low of 350, to a stable 500 due to the grassroots effort. These efforts paid off, as significant contract gains came in the 1980’s.