Resident assistants (RAs) and resident first-year mentors (RFMs) at Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) moved to unionize on Nov. 17, according to a letter addressed to university administrators.
According to the letter, 32 of 43 RAs and RFMs at FLC have signed union authorization cards. If approved, the union would join the Fordham Rose Hill RAs under the representation of Local 153 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). The letter requested that Fordham voluntarily recognize the FLC RA and RFM union by Nov. 21.
Jennifer Petra, associate vice president for media and public relations, confirmed that the administration had received the letter from the union. The university provided no other comment.
“The enforcement of policies and expectations has been highly variable, and many RA/RFM staff members have experienced discipline that feels disproportionate and lacks transparency,” FLC RA and RFM union’s letter to the administration
Om Patel, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’27, is an RFM at McMahon Hall and one of the lead coordinators of the FLC unionization efforts. He said that the move to unionize started on Nov. 14, after an “inciting incident” occurred earlier that week.
The letter cites recent “sudden” and “arbitrary” terminations as cause for the RA and RFM union’s formation.
“The enforcement of policies and expectations has been highly variable, and many RA/RFM staff members have experienced discipline that feels disproportionate and lacks transparency,” the letter reads.
Fordham’s Office of Residential Life did not respond to The Observer’s requests for comment on their disciplinary procedures or the letter requesting recognition of the Lincoln Center campus’s RA and RFM union.
“I don’t think this is possible without the network that was built by other members who were doing outreach. It was all on them. By myself, there’s no way I could do this.” Om Patel, GSBLC ’27
Patel said the efforts to unionize moved fast.
“I decided on Friday to start collecting interest for unionization,” Patel said. “I reached out that morning around 12 o’clock to OPEIU 153 for their general contact saying that … I think that I have reason to believe that there might be interest in unionization again at (FLC).”
Patel and other organizing members spent the weekend researching and reaching out to colleagues. They obtained a supermajority of signatures before Patel met with representatives from OPEIU on the morning of Nov. 17.
“I don’t think this is possible without the network that was built by other members who were doing outreach. It was all on them. By myself, there’s no way I could do this,” Patel said.
“The Fordham University RA contract is, and I think it still is, the best RA contract in the entire country right now.” Seamus Dougherty, FCRH ’26
The Fordham Rose Hill RA Union announced its intention to unionize on Feb. 1, 2023, also by sending a signed petition to the university’s administration. They were not voluntarily recognized by Fordham, and instead filed for a formal election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which they won.
After the union was formalized, contract negotiations with the university began. The inaugural contract between the university and the union was signed in March of 2024, more than a year after the initial petition to unionize.
Seamus Dougherty, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’26, is the chief steward of the Fordham Rose Hill RA union. He was involved in the contract negotiations and lauded the resulting deal with the university.
“The Fordham University RA contract is, and I think it still is, the best RA contract in the entire country right now,” Dougherty said. “I think that the job has really been reified … and given real logistical support.”
Patel expressed confidence that, if the FLC union was not voluntarily recognized by Fordham’s administration, it would be approved by a majority of RAs and RFMs in an NLRB election.
“I think if it ends up going to a vote, I have confidence that the RAs will turn out in solidarity,” Patel said.
According to Scott Williams, a lead organizer at OPEIU Local 153, Lincoln Center RAs will benefit from collaborating with other Local 153 members at Fordham.
“We will support members at (FLC) in the same way as we have with Rose Hill RAs and the clerical staff at both campuses who are also Local 153 members. They will work together in contract negotiations, organizing, member engagement, and contract enforcement along with our stewards and staff,” Williams said.
“I’m very curious to see what happens here, to see if the university is going to change tactics based on how the situation rolled out during bargaining in 2024.” Seamus Dougherty, FCRH ’26
Dougherty spoke to the solidarity between the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses’ unions. He said that he found out about the letter on Nov. 17, and has since been in contact with Williams and the organizers from FLC.
“Hopefully, the work that we’ve done at Rose Hill will be helpful to the Lincoln Center folks,” Dougherty said. “I’m very curious to see what happens here, to see if the university is going to change tactics based on how the situation rolled out during bargaining in 2024.”
Patel said that a large part of the motivation to unionize came from the desire to clarify RAs and RFMs’ agreements with the Office of Residential Life. These agreements, which each hire signs before starting their positions, define the RA and RFM roles.
“These agreements have very vague terms sometimes,” Patel said. “I think that’s one of the main reasons why I, myself and many others, would like a union contract to come in and clarify a lot of things.”
“It’s not one of those situations where everyone is completely flippant against their employer and they’re really disgruntled by what’s happened. They just want to ensure that dignity and respect is always being upheld.” Om Patel, GSBLC ’27
Patel reiterated that the decision to unionize was not “in opposition, but in partnership” with the university.
“It’s not one of those situations where everyone is completely flippant against their employer and they’re really disgruntled by what’s happened. They just want to ensure that dignity and respect is always being upheld,” Patel said.
Patel predicted that a union would improve life for everyone in the dorms.
“I imagine a future union contract would help us better serve the residents as well,” Patel said. “RAs who are happier — who are mentally healthier and physically healthier — are going to be better at doing their job.”
The Instagram account formerly associated with the Fordham Rose Hill RA union, @fordhamraunion, posted the letter from the FLC RA and RFM union on Nov. 18. The account will publish updates from the FLC union as they petition for formal recognition from the university.
