Monique Nelson, a custodian at Mount Holyoke, speaks out to demand fair union contracts.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
SOUTH HADLEY — Hundreds of service workers and supporters from Mount Holyoke College rallied on May 13, outside the main entrance, to demand fair union contracts before the expiration of the current agreements on June 30.
Bargaining committees of workers and representatives from Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union have been negotiating with the college for two agreements covering 170 custodians, tradespeople, groundskeepers and dining services workers since March.
According to its website, 32BJ SEIU’s mission is “to build and grow a diverse, effective, politically independent and democratic organization of workers to change our lives for the better, improve our communities, and build a more just society for present and future generations.”
Currently, Mount Holyoke’s latest offer still falls drastically short of the union members’ needs, according to a statement from 32BJ SEIU.
The workers are seeking agreements that ensure a living wage in Hampshire County, where the college is located, for all unit employees, as well as contributions from the college to 401K retirement accounts.
Other central demands include an employer-paid legal services fund, which would provide free legal services on many issues, including immigration matters, a vitally important benefit in the current political climate, given that many workers at the college are immigrants.
Some workers discussed working second jobs to make ends meet and others discussed the fear that their current wages soon may not be enough to afford living in Hampshire County.
32BJ member Bill Simmons talked more about the legal fund and said, “It levels the playing field for everybody. If you’re really well off, you can fix a lot of your problems because you can afford a lawyer, but your problems compound if you can’t afford a layer.”
He also noted that lawyers cover many things that happen in our everyday lives whether it’s for good or bad moments that may take place.
32BJ Executive Vice President Kevin Brown, who heads the union in Massachusetts, talked about the current state of the contract negotiations.
“To the Holyoke administration, what they’re offering so far is insufficient because we also need, they have some additional benefits that are not expensive but some additional benefits to make sure that when we retire, that we have enough to live on and not live in poverty and that when we have issues that we need a laywer, we can afford a lawyer because a lot of people right now for various reasons,” Brown said.
Brown also noted that they have put their proposals before the college and received a “big no,” in response.
“And when they say no, we say yes because 32BJ does not understand no. We will continue to fight, we will continue to rally, we will continue to protest, we will continue to make our voices heard until we hear yes,” Brown stated.
Brown also talked about the importance of the college showing their support and standing with some of the most important members of the campus.
He said, “We hope these rallies will convince Mount Holyoke to bolster its commitment to workers who keep the college running every day. We deplore the federal government’s unprecedented assault on the nation’s educational institutions, and we urge the college to understand there is no better time than now to invest in their workers, for everyone’s benefit.”
Mount Holyoke senior Victoria Faulkner discussed the low wages for the colleges service workers and stated, “I as a student manager in the library, who quite frankly does not do very much, was getting paid for than people in the dining hall who feed me, who provide me water, and provide meals that are quite frankly fancier than we deserve.”
After remarks from students, union members, college staff members and representatives from different local organizations, the crowd began to march up and down the streets saying “What do we want? Contracts! When do we want them? Now!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down!”
In a statement sent to Reminder Publishing on behalf of Mount Holyoke College, it said, “Mount Holyoke College is actively engaged in contract negotiations and cannot speak to specifics at this time. However, MHC leadership is confident that the administration and union bargaining teams will be able to work together in good faith to reach a just and sustainable result for all college employees.”
