Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Graduate students are on strike on the Boston University campus, which means that school officials are looking to artificial intelligence to compensate for lost labor coming from the number of students who are on the picket lines. The Graduate student workers are represented by a BU-Grad workers union, which according to a post on the union’s X account, are criticizing the school’s skyrocketing yearly costs of attendance which are now at over $90,000 a year.
The union also mentions that given the astronomical costs of tuition to attend the prestigious university, that grad workers should be entitled to a fair living wage and benefits. The strike has been in effect since Monday March 25, and shows no signs of stopping until the administration steps up. Graduate students hold a valuable role on the BU campus, as in addition to their role as students, they serve as teaching assistants on campus helping professors and, in some cases, assisting with research as well.
According to an article on the BU website, these protests represent more than just a contract dispute, it’s a fight for economic justice for a long-overlooked segment of the workforce. In a statement, the university in response to the protests said: “We value our graduate students and their many contributions to teaching and research and will continue to address their needs throughout the collective bargaining process. At the same time, we are concerned about the strike’s impact on teaching, research, and the lives of thousands of other students, and we are working to minimize that disruption.”
Members of the BU Graduate Student Union represent more than 3,000 master’s, professional, and PhD graduate students.
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok