Gen Z is driving a wave of unionization on college campuses

Thomas Gross has been living paycheck to paycheck working as a grill cook at Northeastern University’s dining hall since 2017. He lives with several family members in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury, where rents are increasing. But life is about to get more comfortable for Gross, following a union contract victory that increases Northeastern dining workers’ hourly pay by $9.32 over the next 4.5 years. Gross, who will be making more than $30 per hour by early 2026, in addition to other union members and leaders interviewed by The Business Journals, said student support was critical to landing the contract.