The visible struggle of workers’ rights has cast a dim shadow on Northeastern’s campus in recent months. From dining hall workers’ victorious and liberating efforts to unionize last spring to the janitors’ triumph last week in settling a progressive contract, Northeastern has consistently found itself in the center of labor movements. Despite clear and repeated violations of Northeastern’s “core values” of “respect, dignity and freedom from intimidation,” administration has remained eerily quiet. However, new events show a change could be at hand.
On Sept. 22, with negotiations looking bleak, The Janitor’s Union, Service Employees International Union Local 615 (SEIU) voted to approve a strike if a fair contract was not reached by Sept. 30. With the strike looming, Progressive Student Alliance led a delegation to administration on Thursday, Sept. 28 to inform President Aoun of the continued plight of workers on campus, not only the janitors’ efforts to negotiate and retain a fair contract but also the dining hall workers attempts to bargain for their first union contract. We delivered a letter asking that Northeastern contact Consolidated Services Corporation to urge them to complete negotiations, and release a public statement saying that Northeastern University supports full time work, employer paid healthcare and fair wages for all of its subcontracted employees.
The response was encouraging, as Jack McCarthy, Advisor to President Aoun responded, saying: “We encouraged the contractors who provide janitorial services on campus, principally Consolidated Services Corporation, to negotiate in good faith with the union so that a new contract could be agreed upon before the contract expired on Sept. 30.” This is a remarkable turnaround, as delegations by students and workers during last year’s dining hall campaign were spurned or ignored. The response offers a tantalizing glimpse into the possibility of an administration that takes a firm stance against issues of social injustice.
The lack of any sort of public statement in support of campus worker’s rights is a repeat of the evasive morality that has characterized Northeastern’s official stance on social justice. Despite reaffirming the University’s commitment to “respect, dignity and freedom from intimidation,” McCarthy made no direct commitment to any side. He also ignored any mention of the current situation of the dining hall workers.
The janitors went on to settle their contract dispute just before the deadline, reaffirming gains made over the last ten years, expanding full time jobs and negotiating a fair pay raise. The dining hall workers are still in the process of fighting for their first contract.
-Sean Hansen is a second year Cultural Anthropology student and member of the Progressive Student Alliance.
