🎓😳 These local students are unionizing

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

💰 Being a student in Boston can be pricey. But lucky for you, your student ID is a ticket to tons of deals across the city. And even luckier for you, Boston.com has a running list of the city’s best student discounts, from art to travel to sports and more.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• See ya, Sumner Tunnel shutdowns

• Be an MBTA guinea pig

• The Golden Getaway

Up first…

EDUCATION

Local student unions are on the rise

Something’s brewing in higher ed across the country. From grad students to RAs to faculty, higher ed unionization is on the rise, and a lot of it is happening right in our backyard.

But right now, the spotlight is on Boston University grad students, who are currently on the longest grad worker strike in a decade. Here’s what to know:

🧑‍🎓 Grad student unions are booming. Since 2012, the number of unionized grad workers in the U.S. has increased by 133% — now a whopping 38% of all grad workers are unionized, according to a new report by Hunter College. And of the 150,100 unionized graduate workers, 64,000 did so between 2021 and 2023.

🤔 Why? For one, younger folks seem to be primed for it. Despite many growing up with a “keep your head down and work hard” mentality, younger workers are finding that “the only way that you can actually make your life better is by making a change to the system,” according to Ben Krewson, a PhD candidate in BU’s math and stats department and a rep for the school’s graduate workers union. That mentality partially comes from exposure to activism online and massive social justice movements, said Laura De Veau, a higher ed consultant.

🪧 … and they feel schools aren’t practicing what they preach. Tuition is incredibly expensive, as is living in Boston. But BU grad workers make between $27,000 and $40,000 — which is not enough to afford Boston living. That feels particularly poignant when you put it up against the DEI values many schools champion, said Freddie Reiber, a BU union rep who is getting his PhD in computing and data science. If the goal is to make the university more equitable, where people “from all walks of life are able to come and participate,” he said, “you have to be able to afford rent.” 

🧑‍🏫 But when it’s time to bargain, there’s a definite disconnect. Higher ed tends to be “stratified,” said De Veau, meaning that there can be a real lack of understanding between workers and the higher-ups they’re often bargaining with. And when you combine that with universities’ general inexperience with collective bargaining, that can be a recipe for trouble. According to Kate Bronfenbrenner, the director of labor education research at Cornell, that lack of experience can lead to all kinds of bureaucratic complications that can slow down or hamper the negotiating process.

🍎 That said, it seems that things are moving in the right direction. BU’s recent contract proposal in August seemed to mark a step toward a compromise with increased stipend support and benefits. Chief academic officer Gloria Waters wrote that the offer shows workers “we are listening,” and “puts us in line with our peers, and, at the same time, recognizes the constraints on the university budget.” And for the union’s part, they wrote that they are encouraged by the “significant movement from the university on key issues.” You can keep up with the latest here.

TOGETHER WITH EQUITABLE

Financial stability? In this economy? 

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

👋 You can kiss those Sumner Tunnel shutdowns goodbye. 88 days, 59 weekends, and 4,307 tons of asphalt later, the $160 million overhaul of the Sumner Tunnel is now “substantially complete.” There are just a handful of minor issues and touch-ups to iron out, so expect some periodic lane restrictions on parts of the tunnel during off-peak hours. Reminder: This project was planned to take years. But after rethinking how to minimize driver impacts and completing the bulk of the work over the past two summers, officials managed to wrap it up 41 days ahead of schedule. Who are we?! 

🪧 Pro-Palestinian campus protests are far from over. Speaking of student activism … Tufts has suspended its Students for Justice in Palestine group, calling them to halt “all activities, events, and meetings” for the time being. The school said the group violated the school’s updated advocacy and protest guidelines by posting violent imagery and language on IG and protesting in a university building. But as for whether students will heed the warning … maybe not: Some members seemed to be protesting on campus this week anyway.

📲 Breaking news: TikTok is addictive. Well, you probably knew that already. But now Mass. Attorney General Andrea Campbell is speaking up about it. On Tuesday, Mass. joined over a dozen states in filing lawsuits against TikTok for its contribution to the youth mental health crisis. The charge? The platform exploits young users by being designed to be as addictive as possible (think: features like infinite scroll or autoplay) but negatively impacts their mental and physical health. The impacts range from disrupting sleep to contributing to depression and anxiety. And apparently, the state has data to prove it.

🚃 Don’t ask what the T can do for you. Ask what YOU can do for the T. OK, that might be a little dramatic, but the MBTA is asking the public to download the beta version of its new MBTA Go app, which provides real-time info about MBTA service. If you’re down to clown, make sure you have an iPhone with iOS 17+ (the T is still working on an Android version), download the TestFlight app, then follow these instructions. And of course, let the MBTA know what you think here.

QUICK QUESTION

🐶 Would you ever bring your pet on vacation?

GIVEAWAY

Together with Off the Beaten Path Food Tours

Enter to win two tickets to the award-winning Harvard Square chocolate tour. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Oct. 9, 2024. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

ONE LAST THING

A Golden vacation

Most people go on vacation to get away from their responsibilities: Work, pets, cleaning, whatever. But Sea Crest Beach Resort is offering … the opposite. They’re offering a beach vacation for your dog. More specifically, for your golden retriever. 

Enter: The Golden Getaway, a weekend retreat from Oct. 18 to 20 that is specifically for Golden Retrievers and their people. Over the two days, the resort will provide programming from a “pup polar plunge” to a “golden BBQ” to a “yappy hour.”

Before you completely write it off, we should tell you that booking a Golden Getaway package also gets you access to discounted rooms, waived pet fees, and a surprise “special amenity” for your pooch. Not to mention a near constant opportunity for Instagram pics.

You can check it out here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🐶 Thanks for reading! It’s giving … Seaport.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Equitable, for supporting local journalism and helping Boston-area educators plan a financially secure future. 

🎤 The results are in: 71% of B-Siders thought that Kamala’s appearance on “Call Her Daddy” was a smart move, and the right message for her audience. One reader said: “Meet the people where they're at!! That's politics babyyyy.”

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].

*Equitable is the brand name of the retirement and protection subsidiaries of Equitable Holdings, Inc., including Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company NY, NY and Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America, an AZ stock company with an administrative office located in Charlotte, NC.