Anna Meier

@annameier

Union organizer | full-time thorn in your side | your loud queer aunt 🏳️‍🌈 she/her | itinerant Midwesterner | annameier.substack.com

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Anna Meier@annameier· 17d

Let's go. Unanimous passage, multiple community members speaking unplanned in support of international worker rights.

A person wearing a shirt that says unite fight win speaks in front of a city council meeting in an old-fashioned government building with wood paneled walls

Anna Meier@annameier· 17d

At the Medford City Council tonight while they discuss a resolution in solidarity with the Tufts international grad worker withdrawn from her program after she blew the whistle on unpaid labor. This isn't rocket science: Tufts must do the right thing and reverse its retaliatory actions.

Whereas, a Tufts University international graduate worker recently faced retaliation by her adviser for
reporting that they required her to work a significant amount of hours as an unpaid teaching assistant,
which violated her union contract. Later, the graduate worker was removed from her doctoral
program; and,
Whereas, the worker and her union identified that there were multiple contract violations over the
course of the year and the worker has experienced retaliation for protected union activity about her
working conditions; and,
Whereas, after experiencing this retaliation, Tufts University informed the worker on June 24th that
she was disenrolled from her doctoral program and transferred to the masters of science program,
forcing her out of the university in August; and,
Whereas, after being forced out of the doctoral program that she intended to complete, her student
visa is expected to expire in September 2026. This worker was not even given the opportunity to find
a different adviser at Tufts, and she is not being given sufficient time to apply to other doctoral
programs or conduct a proper job search; now, therefore:
Be it Resolved by the Medford City Council that we call on Tufts to immediately re-enroll this student
in her doctoral program.
Be it Further Resolved that we call on Tufts to award this worker compensation for losing her
summer stipend and losing her doctoral program enrollment after reporting bargaining contract
violations, provide transitional support to move to a new lab to remain in the program, and cease any
future tolerance of retribution for protected

Anna Meier@annameier· 19d

My heart is full. Our community showed up. The fight's not over but it's easier knowing how many people are outraged and want justice for an international grad worker. You can help by signing the petition: act.seiu.org/a/tufts-comm...

Two people viewed from the back with their arms around each other. One wears a black jacket with the words "When we fight, we win"

Anna Meier@annameier· 22d

In an hour! The rain has stopped! Let's gooooooooo

A purple flyer with RALLY! in large white letters. In solidarity with an international worker facing exploitation and retaliation at Tufts. Thursday July 30 at 6 pm Powder House Park 850 Broadway Somerville

Anna Meier@annameier· 23d

If you're in the Boston area, you're also very welcome at our rally tomorrow. 6 pm, Powder House Park, Somerville. Screaming feels good! It is warranted! Come scream! (on the side of the park facing the traffic circle)

Purple flyer with "RALLY!" in large white letters. In solidarity with an international worker facing exploitation and retaliation at Tufts University. Thursday, July 30 at 6 pm, Powder House Park, 850 Broadway, Somerville

Anna Meier@annameier· Jul 18

Been busy.

two horses carrying gear going up a mountain pass on a cloudy day

A row of gray tents in a valley with snowy Salkantay Mountain looming in the distance

Anna Meier@annameier· Jun 29

The Hyperbole and a Half "clean all the things" meme captioned "all of them"

Anna Meier@annameier· May 21

My parents get emails from Medicare now.

Email screenshot headlined "Medicare.gov" with a video thumbnail: Stay health with Dr. Oz

Anna Meier@annameier· May 8

🚨 Tufts grad union stewards made a zine! It's called "How to Spot Red Flags in Any Lab" and is designed to help fellow grads feel less gaslit and more empowered to demand the dignity and respect they deserve. You can read and download it here: link.seiu509.org/AHCzine

Two pages of a handwritten zine. First page says How to spot red flags in any lab with two red pennant flags. The PhD is hard. We've all heard this before. Your family, friends, coworkers, Bluesky feed, and/or your PI have likely said this to you in one way or another, and here you are. This statement resonates with what it takes to do the research that goes into answering hard questions. There are also those people that use that statement to make grad workers accept some very troubling norms. These harms are avoidable, but red flags like these are often ignored or rationalized away, and we don't have to unwillingly sacrifice our safety or comfort for what we do. This zine is your guide to spotting these red flags in any lab!

Anna Meier@annameier· Apr 29

Lesley faculty are still ON STRIKE! Picket today starting at 10 at University Hall (Porter Square). Come show these brave faculty their community stands with them.

Anna Meier@annameier· Apr 28

LET'S GO LESLEY FACULTY. Four hours on the line today with these indomitable workers and the brass band. Doing it again tomorrow! 10–2, University Hall, Cambridge.

A picket line of people walk along a street while a brass band plays on a sunny day

Anna Meier@annameier· Apr 28

TOMORROW, Lesley University faculty go ON STRIKE! After 2 years of bargaining, management has still failed to make a fair offer on wages or workload. Kickoff rally and picket: Tues 4/28, 1–5 pm, Lunder Arts Center (1801 Mass Ave, Cambridge). Show up—share this graphic if you can't! 🌹

Anna Meier@annameier· Apr 21

Harvard grad workers are on strike! Get to the picket! 🌹

Bowling pins around a bowling ball labeled "strike!" Red text: HGSU on strike! Join us on the picket line! Tuesday April 21 starting at 8:30 am, Harvard Science Center Plaza

Anna Meier@annameier· Apr 9

Tufts: Our "operating model transformation" won't result in any layoffs. Also Tufts: *posts a job for an HR person to "develop effective workforce plans" and "assess school and department needs"*

What You'll Do

The HR Business Partner serves as a trusted advisor to schools and departments during university‑wide initiatives designed to improve administrative effectiveness at Tufts. Works closely with leadership to develop and implement workforce plans and strategic, operational, and tactical staffing and management strategies. Participates in regular strategy and project‑planning sessions as a thought partner. Contributes to large‑scale, cross‑departmental initiatives and participates in other HR‑led projects as needed.

Assesses school and department needs and develops/introduces HR solutions or initiatives that support strategic business objectives to help move the organization forward, demonstrating thorough understanding of the department/division/school/campus culture, priorities and tactical realities while balancing the requests of the groups with university policy and guidelines.
Acts as a partner to both employees and leadership, management coach, and change agent, leading initiatives proactively to support employee engagement and organization development.

Responsible for leading or contributing to projects related to various groups and units; participates on HR-sponsored projects and assignments based on a broad HRBP knowledge or practice areas.
Delivers clear, effective written and verbal communication, including project plans, initiatives, development work, and training materials to support internal and external HR priorities.
Assists university senior management in developing effective workforce plans, identifying potential staffing gaps, organizational development opportunities, and workforce risks. Partners with leaders to align workforce strategies with business needs, support organizational change and promote utilization of talent.
Interprets and appropriately applies university policies to resolve complex employee relations issues.

Anna Meier@annameier· Mar 18

This is from a book about migration and borders, but it also applies to the labor movement's periodic focus on "working families" as the entities deserving rights and protections. Fighting for working people has to mean *all* working people, without invoking heternormative models of care.

Screenshot of text: Why is being part of a family necessary for claiming rights and protections?

Anna Meier@annameier· Mar 1

Cool, guess there are no people dying in Iran for us to care about. 😑

News headline: Death tolls rise in Israel, UAE and across region as Iran attacks continue and IDF strikes 'heart of Tehran'

Anna Meier@annameier· Feb 24

All y'all bemoaning academic institutions taking stances on issues in the wider world affecting your fellow human beings sound like this.

Gollum holding up the One Ring, captioned "My precious neutrality"

Anna Meier@annameier· Jan 13

I hadn't seen the new MAHA food pyramid yet and lolololol what IS this.

An upside-down triangle filled with foods, labeled "The New Pyramid." On the left side are "protein, dairy and health fats"; on the right side are "vegetables and fruits." At the bottom is "whole grains."

Anna Meier@annameier· Dec 23

In no particular order: the best things I watched in 2025. Yes, I have a vibe. Yes, I was very late to watch Shogun. Yes, you should let 2026 be the year you get into the dark twisted fantasy of Critical Role projects. (also someone else pls watch War B/n the Land & the Sea so we can talk about it)

Ten movie and TV posters: Superman, Shogun, The Mighty Nein, Wheel of Time, Pluribus, Wicked, Critical Role Campaign 4, The Last of Us, A Thousand Blows, The War Between the Land and the Sea

Anna Meier@annameier· Dec 22

In no particular order: the best books I read this year. If you liked "Braiding Sweetgrass," you must read "Is a River Alive." I think about lessons in "The Problem With Work" at least once a week. Not enough sci-fi nerds have devoured "Of Monsters & Mainframes." Free Palestine.

10 book covers: Is a River Alive by Robert Macfarlane, One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, All Fours by Miranda July, Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, Model Home by Rivers Solomon, The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, The Problem With Work by Kathi Weeks, Perfect Victims by Mohammed El-Kurd, A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez

Anna Meier@annameier· Dec 16

If Tufts subtracted the cost of settling the Professors of the Practice contract from Provost Caroline Genco's annual salary, she'd be left with $155k—still more than any Professor of the Practice would make. Tufts can pay *all* its employees fairly. Failing to do so is a choice, not a necessity.

Blue text on a purple background: The cost of paying 30 people fairly for 5 years is less than what Tufts is willing to pay one person in one year.

Anna Meier@annameier· Dec 3

Just some thoughts on Lesley University's "Better Lesley" budget-slashing initiative that's multiplied the president's salary while slashing academic programs and paying faculty unlivable wages.

Anna Meier@annameier· Nov 17

Harvard custodial workers are on strike today! Allies are welcome on the picket line between 10 am and 10 pm in Harvard Yard and 10 am and 5 pm at Harvard Medical School (Longwood Medical Area). 🌹✊

Harvard custodians on strike: Harvard must stop its unfair labor practices and give us a fair contract now! Show your support on Monday, November 17 at the following locations: 10 am–10 pm by the John Harvard statue, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138, and 10 am–5 pm at Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave, Boston, 02115

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 22

"The yearly cost for meeting the salary increase requested for all of SMFA's PoPs is less than the yearly salary of our top admin." This, right there. Tell Tufts to stop boosting bosses and start supporting faculty: act.seiu.org/a/smfa-9-25

A picture of a smiling Black woman in an orange beaded wig holding a gold trophy. Text reads: A fair salary would mean the same to me as it would to anyone struggling with the cost of living. I feel it is unfair that as Professors of the Practice at such a prestigious institution, we have to keep laying out our financial difficulties in the hopes of appealing to the emotions of our admin. The yearly cost of meeting the salary increase requested for all of SMFA's PoPs is less than the yearly salary of our top admin. A fair salary would mean that we would stop spending so much time bargaining with our admin and actually focus on the work we were brought here to do. Ng'endo Mukii, Film, Video & Animation

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 21

I make a lot of graphics for union and organizing work, but this is by far my most used. Offered as a gift to others who are also just trying to schedule the damn meeting.

The Bernie Sanders meme with the text "I am once again asking you to fill out the when2meet"

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 15

I'd yeet this at the heads of professional academic orgs to which I used to belong, but they wouldn't care & power comes from below anyway, so instead I yeet it, more gently, at junior scholars trying to do decolonial work. Every academic should read it. workshops4gaza.substack.com/p/against-co...

Academic conferences, especially those that require travel, are also an inaccessible way to share knowledge and research. The cost of the flight, especially for graduate students, adjuncts and other contingent academic workers; the disregard for the sick and disabled who may not wish to spend 2-3 days among hundreds of unmasked individuals; and the professional hierarchies that are reinforced through the promotion of an aggressive culture of “networking” that only rewards those who self-promote, are not only impediments to the sharing of knowledge—they contribute to the further consolidation and siloing of information among a privileged few.

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 9

Tufts should be ashamed. Help us fight back: link.seiu509.org/savetheSMFA

A woman sitting on a couch hugging a dog underneath a large abstract painting. Text reads: I am the only PoP left at the SMFA in Ceramics. For me, a fair salary would mean a fair standard of living. Rents are rising and I am struggling to stay afloat. If I received a fair salary, it would mean I could continue teaching in Boston since I commute from New York. Faculty are leaving the SMFA for better pay and working conditions at other institutions. How much is Tufts willing to lose as the SMFA becomes a skeleton of what once made the school exceptional? Jennie Jieun Lee, Ceramics

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 8

Ethan has a fabulous coat and makes equally fabulous points. Stand with art faculty: link.seiu509.org/savetheSMFA

A man in a pink and yellow fur coat smiling at the camera. Text reads: Does Tufts believe that the arts matter in the world? As faculty, we are professionals in our field: researchers, scholars, inventors, producers, connectors, and manufacturers. We bring what we learn and make back into the classrooms and labs we work in. A fair workload means the University and the School need to state clearly in their actions that the arts are no different from the rest of the campus scholars. Tufts’ mission statement affirms a commitment to an inclusive and collaborative environment. If true, then fair salaries, workload, and support for arts faculty are essential. Without meeting these basic needs, that mission rings false. Ethan Murrow, drawing and painting

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 7

link.seiu509.org/savetheSMFA

A black and white photo of a mustachioed person in a beanie with a solemn facial expression. Text reads: My teaching and art practice are inseparable. Both are about questioning power, amplifying overlooked histories, and creating spaces where dialogue and difference can thrive. A fair salary would mean recognition for the invisible labor of teaching—planning, mentoring, and supporting students well beyond the classroom. For me, it would make space to focus on what really matters: showing up fully for my students and sustaining my practice. I believe in sustainability, dignity, and justice for faculty and students, and I stand with my colleagues, students, and staff in fighting for an SMFA that reflects those values. Qais Assali, Graphic Arts

Anna Meier@annameier· Oct 5

How we feel about bosses exploiting workers vs. how we feel about workers organizing together: