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