Five years ago, when Northeastern’s janitors first came to the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), they wanted help in securing contract improvements that included higher wages, more efficient equipment and education about where to air grievances like supervisor abuse.
Since then, PSA has rallied diligently to their aid. Its campaign, Justice for Janitors, issued petitions that garnered almost 2,000 signatures. They’ve protested in places around Boston from Krentzman Quad to Boston Common, drawing hundreds of students in the process. They’ve also met with senior administrators to discuss contract negotiations in hopes of adding an addendum to their contract, which would increase the janitors’ wages. Some Northeastern janitors are currently hired through Consolidated Services Corporation, a private maintenance company.
The university hasn’t budged much. So far, it has provided janitors with energy-efficient vacuums, and posters with a hotline number to report supervisor abuse. But a wage increase was deemed impractical by university officials.
To counter this, PSA did its homework. Using Harvard University’s janitor contract as a model, PSA calculated an approximate $20 addition to each student’s tuition to meet the demands of their proposed contract.
PSA remains realistic and knows Northeastern can’t compete with Harvard’s $28 billion endowment, yet they’ve proven they’re willing to do grunt work to reach their goal.
But recently, something else may be coloring their vision: pride.
After meetings with administrators stalled, PSA has refused to reach out to them again.
“There is no room for us to make any sort of compromise in our demands and our mission,” said Peter Franklin, PSA president.
That’s part of the problem. Instead of working to increase dialogue with the university, PSA escalated its campaign of protests in order to attract attention from local media. Last week, they held vigils outside of President Joseph Aoun’s house on Beacon Hill and displayed Justice for Janitors banners at Friday’s commencement ceremony.
Capturing the media’s gaze yielded mixed results. Some news organizations ran a splashy story, while others only had a photo and a short caption. Any more protests will likely be little more than a blip on the media’s radar and raises questions about whose best interests they have at heart – theirs or the janitors’?
The media is a fickle beast that bores easily, and won’t be shining the limelight on this cause forever.
Take away the noise of the rallies, and all that is left is what one PSA member accurately described as “a waiting game” between the organization and the administration. Although PSA has advocated the janitors’ No. 1 priority is increased wages, it can’t be achieved without first finding common ground.
PSA’s cause is commendable. It’s refreshing for Generation Me to take a stand on something deeper than Facebook, and to see Northeastern students looking beyond themselves to improve the rights of others.
The university also needs to make a more concerted effort beyond vacuums and flyers to improve the janitors’ lives. Its position seems out of step with other area colleges who have separate contracts with their janitors.
“When you hear these people talk about how they have to choose between a hospital bill and groceries – those are the stories that drive us,” Franklin said.
When both sides learn that sometimes real change comes in increments and compromise does not equal concession, these janitors’ stories might finally have a happy ending.
