When Tufts announced it would be building a new residence hall for its juniors and seniors last year, many rejoiced. Some students hoped this could be the solution to the ongoing housing shortage on campus. Outside the confines of the university, however, not all are happy about the project, with some labor organizations expressing concerns about the way Tufts is conducting this major development.
According to a Tufts press release from April 2025, the project, located at 401-403 Boston Avenue, marks “the first time a residence hall for Tufts students will be built…in which the university is neither the owner, developer, nor operator of the building.” The development will be first owned and managed by private real estate conglomerate Provident Resources Group, before eventually becoming property of the university after the developer has turned a profit on the project.
This model, known as a public-private partnership project, or “P3,” has been increasingly utilized by universities in recent decades, as it allows institutions to more easily finance projects, protect against risk, and improve development efficiency, according to the Education Advisory Board. Between 2003 and 2024, the dollar value of P3 transactions increased by nearly 5,000% from $100 million to approximately $5 billion, highlighting a major shift in how universities approach construction projects on their campuses.
The project is currently managed by Capstone Development Partners, who has hired Erland Construction, a general contractor based out of Burlington, Massachusetts (MA), to carry out the construction. The project is slated for completion in the fall semester of 2027.
The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC), a local branch of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, has criticized the approach Tufts has taken to the construction of their new residence hall.
Specifically, the union has taken the university to task for using Erland, due to the company’s practice of contracting non-unionized workers. To be clear, NASRCC does not directly represent any of the workforce currently working on the project, but the union believes Tufts has shown poor labor practices simply by working with a non-union contractor.
Tufts is not the only institution to hire a non-union contractor, however: a study by the Center for Construction Research and Training found that only 36.2% of contractors employ exclusively union workers, while 24.8% hire a mix of union and non-union labor. Across the entire construction industry, only 10.3% of workers are part of a union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Tufts has chosen a contractor that we’re not very satisfied with,” Noel Xavier, NASRCC’s Organizing Director, explained in an interview with The Tufts Tribune. “Tufts gives the excuse that ‘We don’t really pick the contractor,’ but as a university, they have the power to tell whoever builds on their campus that they have certain requirements,” Xavier said.
While the Council of Carpenters may not officially be representing any Tufts workers, they’ve had a prominent presence on campus. Since even before Tufts announced plans for the new residence hall, NASRCC has staged several demonstrations on campus grounds.
On registration day earlier this fall, members of the union could be seen handing out flyers emblazoned with the words “Shame on Tufts.” These early demonstrations informed many students of this dispute from the very moment they stepped foot on campus. Similarly, during Tufts Community Day, on October 5th, union reps staged a protest on campus, replete with an inflatable portraying a cat strangling a construction worker and several large banners also bearing the mantra “Shame on Tufts.”
The union has also maintained a near-constant presence at the construction site itself, where tensions were clearly on display.
The Tribune spoke to several construction workers on the site, all of whom were quick to explain that Erland had instructed them not to comment on any matters relating to NASRCC’s protests. The NASRCC protesters, standing just feet away from where builders were working, told the Tribune that they were going to continue demonstrating but refused to comment directly in order to “keep the peace.”
Erland has not faced any complaints about worker mistreatment at the current residence hall construction site, but research into past projects managed by the contractor illuminates a history of violations.
In 2019, the United States Department of Labor ordered a subcontractor hired by Erland to pay $158,000 in stolen wages to 50 workers involved in a luxury apartment project in Worcester, MA. Erland has also received multiple citations for exposing workers to cave-in and excavation hazards, according to department filings from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
In response to the concerns raised by labor groups, the Tufts administration made clear that they are “committed to constructive engagement at the bargaining table and fair and equitable treatment of all Tufts employees.”
Regarding NASRCC’s presence on campus, Tufts Vice President of Operations Barbara Stein reiterated that NASRCC “does not represent any university employees, and the university is not a part of any collective bargaining agreements with this union.” However, Stein explained, members of the Tufts administration have “corresponded and met with representatives from the union in the past” to hear their concerns.
The university also believes that the new residence hall will contribute to the life of the city, not detract from it. Tufts Executive Vice President Mike Howard hopes the project will be part of a “shared vision” for Tufts and the city of Medford, MA. “The story of Tufts is inherently linked to the vitality and prosperity of our host communities,” Howard said in an April 7th press release.
A shortage of on-campus upperclassmen housing has led to Tufts students occupying many apartments in the Medford/Somerville area, which has led to reduced affordable housing for members of the community, as reported in the Tribune’s “Beyond the Hill: Tufts’ Economic Relationship with Its Greater Community.” The school also sees the new residence hall as a way to address this issue. “The project frees up more than 200 off-campus apartments for working families in Medford and Somerville,” Howard explained.
Even if NASRCC’s role on the Tufts campus might be unclear, their presence highlights valid concerns. Tufts civic-minded mission begs the question: What responsibility does the university have for the conduct of the third parties they hire, and do they have an obligation to hire exclusively unionized labor?
Xavier noted that some other Boston-area schools, including Harvard University and Northeastern University, have been more reliant on unionized workforces for large construction projects. “There has not been any university in the greater Boston area that has done a project of this size non-union,” Xavier said. “This is the first one.”
For Xavier, it all comes down to the university making an effort to hire contractors committed to fair labor practices. “We’d like them to put language in place saying they’d commit to use contractors who pay workers fairly and provide benefits,” he said.
Audrey Hufnagel (‘28), president of Tufts Climate Action (TCA), highlights a disparity in the values of Tufts students and the school’s actions. “There is in some ways a disconnect,” she said. “Tufts—the student body and faculty—are very civically minded, civically engaged, [and] care about a lot of these social issues. And at the same time, the administration is investing in fossil fuels and not supporting unionized workers…I think that there’s this kind of disconnect between Tufts’ values… and [their] actual practices.”
Hufnagel likens Tufts’ behavior to what she calls “greenwashing”: making potentially misleading claims to appear more environmentally friendly or, in this case, socially responsible. “Tufts kind of promotes these liberal vibes and good values without actually [embodying them],” Hufnagel explained. She believes the school should “put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to matters of environmentalism and sustainability.
On the issue of sustainability, the university is confident that the residence hall project will have a positive impact on the environment. “The project will be fossil fuel free, passive house designed, and meet Medford’s new stretch energy code,” Stein said. “It will be a 100% electric building, which will contribute to the university’s progress toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.” For developments as large as 401-403 Boston Ave., these stipulations are regulated as part of the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, which the city of Medford has adopted. They aim to maximize energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Going forward, Xavier sees the university adopting pro-union language “as a victory at this point.” Until then, the union plans to maintain a presence on campus. “If not, we’re just going to continue being there,” Xavier said. “As a union, we’ve been around for 140 years, and we’re going to continue to fight for workers’ rights.”
From the university’s perspective, however, the union has been given a chance to come to the table and has chosen not to. “The university has encouraged the council to bid on our open projects,” Stein said. Our contractors have also encouraged the council to bid on projects, and to our knowledge, they have not done so.”
Photo by Nicole Mousad