Who We Are
The Brown University Labor Council (BULC) is a federation of labor organizations dedicated to the advancement of the labor movement at Brown University and Brown University Health. We work to build bridges between unions and other labor organizations in the Brown community, on the principle that an injury to one is an injury to all.
BULC was founded in 2025 by eight labor organizations with links to Brown University. Our members represent workers in a range of areas at Brown and its affiliate institutions as nurses, medical professionals, library staff, facilities workers, drivers, researchers, teachers and more. See a full list of our member organizations here.
Our Mission
BULC’s mission, as laid out in our constitution, is to:
- Coordinate activities and resources between labor unions at Brown and its affiliates;
- Align contracts between member labor organizations to expire concurrently;
- Coordinate joint bargaining initiatives to maximize labor leverage at Brown;
- Create and enact strategies to build labor power at Brown;
- Coordinate between labor at Brown and outside groups;
- Support and strengthen the labor movement in Rhode Island and beyond;
- Assist with political education, the development of class consciousness, and the fostering of union culture among workers at Brown.
Executive Officers
BULC’s current executive officers are:
- President: Maddock Thomas (Student Labor Alliance)
- Secretary-Treasurer: Gordon Brillon (United Service and Allied Workers, Libraries Unit)
- Vice President: Holly Kirkman (United Service and Allied Workers, Libraries Unit)
- Vice President: Jasper Cattell (Graduate Labor Organization, RIFT-AFT Local 6516)