VICTORY!

Yesterday, Monday, August 11, Tufts janitors ratified the tentative agreement reached between SEIU local 615 and American Building Maintenance Industries. This means the janitors now have a new contract that promotes economic justice and respect for Tufts janitors. Here are some of the major details of the new contract:

$0.80 wage increase each year for the next four years (For example, their hourly pay will move from $13.85/hour to $14.65/hour next year). In the fifth year of the contract, their wages will be raised to a dollar above the wages specified in the 2012 janitorial master contract for Boston.

At the end of the last contract, Tufts janitors received 3 sick days per year. By the end of the new contract, they will receive 9 personal days off. Not only is this a 200% increase in days they can take off, but the doctor's note requirement to take time off has been lifted. Now workers can take these days off for any personal reason they deem necessary.

Workers' contribution to the family healthcare plan has been capped for the next 5 years to $100/month. This is a huge win, given the rapidly rising costs of healthcare. Full-time Tufts janitors can insure themselves and their entire immediate family for only $100 each month.

By the end of the new contract, 90% of Tufts janitors will be employed full-time (they are currently at 65% full-time). Not only will this provide crucial benefits to larger portion of the Tufts janitorial staff, but it will also allow these workers to spend more time with their families, as they will not be required to work multiple part-time jobs to support their families any longer.

Thank you to everyone who has helped out during this campaign. Without your support, none of this would have been possible.

Any questions? Feel free to email Kevin.Dillon@tufts.edu or Maxwell.Goldman@tufts.edu

Rally in Support of Tufts Janitors at Medford Campus!

Rally!!

Where: President's House, Tufts University Medford

When: 12 PM, Thursday July 24th

Questions: Email Kevin Dillon, kevin.dillon@tufts.edu

Come stand with the Janitors as they fight for full time work and a just wage increase

Let President Bacow know that the Tufts community wants him to support

the janitors.

I hope to see you all on Thursday

Justice for Tufts Janitors Signs

Thank you to all businesses in the community who have posted a "I support Justice for Tufts Janitors" poster. We appreciate your support. We hope that collectively, these posters will send a powerful message to Tufts University demonstrating that the community cares about Tufts janitors and stands with them as they ask for full-time work and better wages. The posters can be found in businesses in Davis Sqaure, Teele Square, Powderhouse Square, and at the intersection of Boston Avenue and Curtis Street. If you would like a sign for your business, please email Kevin.Dillon@tufts.edu.

Rally in Support of Tufts Janitors in Davis!

This Thursday We will be having an action in Davis square in support of the janitors at Tufts. This rally is also in support of a resolution that the Somerville Board of Aldermen will be hearing in support of the janitors.

Rally!
Thursday July 10th
12:00pm
Davis Square (corner of College Ave and Holland St in Somerville)

I hope to see you all there!

The Cold Facts– Wage and Endowment Comparisons

Here are wage comparisons for janitors of 11 universities within the Boston area. The list includes Babson College, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Lesley University, MIT, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Suffolk University, and Tufts University. This list includes both part-time and full-time workers’ rates. These rates were compiled from contract agreements between the respective cleaning contractors or universities/colleges and SEIU Local 615, the union that represents building workers. The data also includes the endowment of all 11 universities, collected from various sources.

College	Part/Full-time
		2008
Babson College	PT	n/a
	FT	n/a
Boston College	PT	$19.44
	FT	$19.44
Boston University	PT	$14.66
	FT	$19.54
Brandeis University	PT	$16.14
	FT	$16.14
Harvard University	PT*	$16.75
	FT*	$16.75
Lesley University	Newer	$14.62
	Senior*	$17.34
MIT	PT**	$18.14
	FT**	$18.14
Northeastern U.***	PT	$13.55
	FT	$13.55
Simmons College	PT	$13.65
	FT	$15.97
Suffolk University	PT	n/a
	FT	n/a
Tufts University	PT	$13.85
	FT	$13.85

*In some cases, multiple wage rates existed, so the average out of these rates is given for reasons of simplicity

**MIT rates based on 3-year contracted custodians and in- house custodians

***Northeastern rates taken from Master Contract Agreement

College	Endowment
Babson College	$179,200,000.001
Boston College	$1,750,000,000.002
Boston University	$1,100,000,000.003
Brandeis University	$579,654,431.004
Harvard University	$34,000,000,000.005
Lesley University	$51,709,947.006
MIT	$10,000,000,000.007
Northeastern University***	$612,183,0008
Simmons College	$169,065,000.009
Suffolk University	$104,400,000.0010
Tufts University	$1,500,000,000.0011

In 2006 and 2007, Tufts Janitors were the lowest paid out of the 11 universities. In 2008, Tufts University achieved a modest gain as the second lowest paid janitors with a wage of $13.85, which is far less than the $23.58 living wage for a single parent with a preschool child in Boston.

Even so, Tufts University has the 4^th largest endowment of 1.5 billon dollars. There is obviously an incoherency, especially for a university that prides itself for its “active citizenship.”

As stated before, although Tufts is not directly involved with contract negotiations between SEIU Local 615 and ABM/One source, it holds sole influence in the compensation rates of janitors:

“The clients are in ultimate control of the whole process. Economically speaking, this is known as a being a price-setter, which is a market failure. In a truly competitive market, neither the buyer or seller of a service has control over the price of the service; this price is supposed to be set by the industry. Yet clients such as Tufts actually meet with cleaning contractors to decide on an appropriate price for the cleaning services. These meetings are kept separate from the workers’ contract negotiations, creating major obstacles for workers trying to achieve better compensation and benefits.”

Thus, it is necessary to continually pressure Tufts University’s administration. It’s about time that Tufts removes its façade of active citizenship, withdraw itself as a global leader, and take responsibility by bringing justice to its own community members.

1 http://education.yahoo.com/college/facts/5238.html

2 http://media.www.bcheights.com/media/storage/paper144/news/2007/12/03/News/Bc.Unveils.1.6.Billion.Strategic.Plan-3132808.shtml

3 http://hostedjobs.openhire.com/epostings/jobs/submit.cfm?fuseaction=dspjob&jobid=238841&company_id=15509&version=1&source= ONLINE&jobOwner=935852&aid=1

4 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_2133_brief.php

5 http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/01/24/harvards_endowment_surpasses_34_billion/

6 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_2160_brief.php

7 http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/01/24/harvards_endowment_surpasses_34_billion/

8 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_2199_brief.php

9 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_2208_brief.php

10 http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/instvc.asp?inunid=8880#Facilities

11 http://finance.tufts.edu/treasury/trea_endowpolistat.php

Who's Got the Money

Tufts janitors are at the bargaining table with ABM/One Source, not Tufts University. These workers are employed through a cleaning contractor, not by the university. The Tufts administration has said that it is not responsible for these negotiations and it is improper for it to be involved in the negotiations process (see http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2004/04/20/News/Custodial.Wage.Negotiation.Protests.Continue-1492379.shtml). This past school year, members of the Jumbo Janitor Alliance met with Tufts University Vice President of Operations John Roberto, who stated, while the administration supports collective bargaining, they cannot get involved in negotiations. So when trying to advocate for Tufts janitors, why target Tufts University and not the cleaning contractor?

Cleaning contractors were born out of drive to cut costs to the bottom line; these contractors provide their clients with a service at the least cost possible. Whenever a contractor offers a price that is above what other contractors are offering, that one company is no longer competitive and therefore loses business. The contractor has essentially no control over what they charge if they wish to stay in business. The industry dictates they charge the lowest amount possible, which means paying the janitors the lowest amount possible, or else the company will go out of business.

As shown through ABM’s recent 2007 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company only made a 1.8% profit off of their total revenue. Out of all the money that this contractor took in from different cleaning contracts, less than 2% was actually considered profit. This outlines the skeleton nature of ABM. The company operates on a bare-minimum basis; they do not take away huge profits each year from their business. ABM informs their investors of the nature of their operations when they explain in their 10-K financial statement, “low cost of entry to the facility services business has led to strongly competitive markets…These strong competitive pressures could inhibit the Company’s success in bidding for profitable business and its ability to increase prices even as costs rise, thereby reducing margins.” Because they don’t take away big profits each year, they do not have the free capital to offer better compensation to their workers. This money must come from the clients.

The clients are in ultimate control of the whole cleaning process. Economically speaking, this is known as a being a price-setter, which is a market failure. In a truly competitive market, neither the buyer or seller of a service has control over the price of the service; this price is supposed to be set by the industry. Yet clients such as Tufts actually meet with cleaning contractors to decide on an appropriate price for the cleaning services. These meetings are kept separate from the workers’ contract negotiations, creating major obstacles for workers trying to achieve better compensation and benefits. In the case of Tufts, the workers’ compensation package will mostly likely already be decided before ABM and Tufts meet to renegotiate a cleaning price. By causing this disconnect, ABM cannot offer to compensate the workers better, since it does not know if it can get more money from Tufts.

This is why it is imperative to target Tufts. As Tufts is the ultimate decision-maker in how much money goes into the cleaning contract, they are the ones who actually set the janitors’ compensation. The cleaning contractor has no power in asking for more money for their workers; if they do, they will simply be replaced by a less-demanding contractor. These companies serve as scapegoats to deflect responsibility from where it should be properly placed. Yet the community has power in this matter, especially in the case of Tufts. A university that prides itself on its commitment to community (see http://www.tufts.edu/talloiresnetwork/?pid=17 and http://activecitizen.tufts.edu/?pid=1) should be held responsible by its community when it falls short of this commitment.

What do we want?

Here is a rundown of why what the janitors are asking for is so important. Their major demands are higher wages, more hours, affordable healthcare and full time work.

I.Wages and Hours

As energy prices drastically rise, and coupled with the inflation our country now faces, the workers at Tufts must earn more money in order to make ends meet. Yet, while these workers are struggling to support their families, a recent study by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center shows the opposite is true of higher income families. In their report The Growing Gap: Income Inequality in Massachusetts, they found that over the past two decades, the top fifth of income earners in the state saw a 77% increase in annual income, while the lowest fifth saw only a 16% increase in the annual income. Our country was a nation founded on principles of equality, yet our state contradicts this message as the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. These rising costs are a burden that the janitors at Tufts cannot bear, and that is why we ask for higher wages and more hours so the workers will be able to support their families.

II. Affordable Healthcare

Massachusetts recently passed a bill requiring all residents of the state to have health insurance. While this initiative is a noble effort, it remains under-funded and overburdened. Institutions with the resources to do so have an obligation to provide their workers with critical health coverage, both to protect these workers in a time when health care costs are astronomical and when the state is unable to adequately provide health care for all residents. Tufts should do its part and make sure that the janitors have adequate and accessible healthcare.

III. Full Time Work

Many janitors working at Tufts are only offered part-time work. While this may allow increased flexibility in the day-to-day cleaning operations of the various campuses, it comes at an extremely heavy price to the workers. Part-time workers are not eligible for benefits, and are therefore barred from critical healthcare coverage and a pension plan for their retirement. Furthermore, these workers are forced to take other part-time jobs in order to support their families, forcing them to work day and night and robbing them of precious time to spend with their loved ones. As family is one of the most essential and basic units of our society, we ask that Tufts accomodate full time work on all of their campuses.

Action This Thursday!

Rally for workers rights!

This Thursday, janitors from Tufts and SuffolkUniversities, along with Service Employees International Union local 615, will rally in downtown Boston for higher wages, for moving part-time work to full-time work, for wage parity, and for decent healthcare.

Please come out and support the workers!

What: Worker Rally and March

When: Thursday, June 12 @ 11:30 am

Where: Tufts University Medical School, 145 HarrisonAve (march to Suffolk University Law School)

Questions: email Kevin.Dillon@tufts.edu

The Players

Hey everyone, welcome to our blog. I'll be updating you on our actions thus far in the near future, but for now lets do a little run down of the players involved here and what they can (and cannot) do.

SEIU 615: This is the local that represents the janitors at Tufts. The local itself represents about 16,000 building service workers throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. As I'm sure you know the Union is the bargaining representative for the workers at the table. They write up the ammendments to the current contract and the new clauses the workers and union would like to see in the contract and after this negotiations take place.

The Workers: Just because SEIU 615 is the official bargaining unit for the workers does not mean that the workers have no say in what happens. The rank and file must vote on the union's proposal, and the proposal is made up of suggestions from the workers themselves (plus some things that the union feel would be worthwhile to have that the workers might not think of). Some workers also sit at the table and take part in the negotiations, they are know as the bargaining team.

One Source/ABM: This is the company through which Tufts contracts its custodial staff. They sit opposite the union and workers at the table, and may present their own proposal of changes they would like to see in the contract. Although they are concerned with their workers, they are greatly concerned about their contract with Tufts. You might think that there is a standard overhead that they take which could be portioned out amongst the workers if One Source/ABM was willing to do so, but this is not the case. As a matter of fact the more benefits and wages that the workers receive, the more overhead One Source/ABM receives (its a percentage overhead based on the weighted hourly wages of the workers, which is their hourly wages plus the hourly cost of benefits they receive). Therefore they would be happy to ask for more, but can't as they do not want to lose their contract with Tufts.

Tufts University: Tufts university contracts out the labor from the workers employed by One Source/ABM, and therefore are not officially party to negotiations in any visible way. However, as the information about One Source/ABM shows, they do have a very strong influence on what happens at the table. At the end of the day, it is Tufts that controls the purse and Tufts that agrees to spend more money on certain things (such as higher wages, more sick days, more full time, etc.). Tufts current line is that it believes in the process of collective bargaining and that the two parties will reach a fair deal, but they will not take responsibility for their role in the bargaining process.

The Community: This is where all of you come in. Whether you are members of the Tufts community, the Somerville/Medford/Boston/Grafton community or you just care about this issue, you have the power to pressure the Tufts administration into taking responsibility for its workers. If you call or email president Bacow (617-627-3300 or lawrence.bacow@tufts.edu) and let him know that Tufts must take responsibility for its workers and prove that all their talk about social justice has to be backed up by action, he will listen. As the students are mostly gone over the summer it is up to the community to help out the workers on campus, so please get your community groups and your friends and neighbors involved in this cause. Have them call or email Bacow and let him know that you demand justice for janitors at Tufts!

Some background information on the issue

In 1994, Tufts University made an unprecedented move in Boston by outsourcing its janitorial staff. While most universities in the area at the time still employed their janitors themselves (known as an in-house workforce), Tufts began contracting out this labor to cheaper outside cleaning contractor (a process known as out-sourcing). While this helped cut operating costs at the university, it also established a very dangerous precedent. Universities were no longer bound to a higher standard of commitment to all of their employees. Instead, these institutions of higher education could adopt a more corporate model which cut-costs, while maintaining a facade of community to the academic body of the university. Once out-sourced, the janitors faced drastic pay cuts and the loss of all Tufts benefits, such as being on the Tufts health care plan and workers' children receiving free tuition to Tufts.

For more information on the history of out-sourcing at Tufts, please see Tufts University physics professor and social activist Gary Goldstein's speech to the Ethical Society of Boston.


It was this injustice 15 years ago that has led to the current disparity between Tufts janitors, an integral part of Tufts operations, and the rest of the Tufts community.This schism can be seen both in terms of community and compensation. Since the janitors are contracted workers not directly employed by Tufts, many other members of the Tufts community, especially undergraduate students, whose interaction with the janitors is limited to four years, fail to acknowledge the janitors' rightful place within the community. The recently formed student group Jumbo Janitor Alliance has worked throughout this past year, and will continue to work, to help bridge this community divide. By hosting events involving Tufts janitors and other members of the Tufts community, the group hopes to promote dialog that will bring all the different sections of the Tufts community together.

However, in terms of wages and benefits, the only current way for Tufts janitors to receive compensation similar to other Tufts employees is through contract negotiations. As noted earlier, this is the only time during which the janitors may hope to improve their working conditions. In order to receive their demands, the community must stand behind them as the workers are going up against a national cleaning contractor and university with vast resources at its disposal.

Greetings and Introduction

Hello everyone,

First, thank you for checking out this blog and reading more about the current contract negotiations involving Tufts University janitors and ABM/One Source. Every four years, the agreement between the janitors and the cleaning contractor (ABM/One Source) expires and must be renegotiated. It is only during this time that the workers may hope to improve the critical components of their job such as their wages, benefits, and days off. We have started this blog to help keep those concerned informed about current developments and how one may help the janitors during this pivotal time for them.

As far as the we: My name's Kevin Dillon and the other blogger is Max Goldman. We are two students at Tufts University, at the Undergraduate School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This past year we served as the officers of a recently-formed student group called the Jumbo Janitor Alliance, which has focused on bringing the Tufts janitors more into the community. For this summer, we are both working on how to ensure that Tufts janitors, hard-working members of the Tufts community, can achieve their contract demands.

Again, we appreciate all of your support and we hope you find this blog both useful and informative.

Kevin Dillon and Max Goldman
Jumbo Janitor Alliance
Tufts University