Janitors ask Northeastern to clean up its contract

By CARA BAYLES

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"The Boss" clutched cardboard cash, as a cigar stub drooped from his mouth and his pupils gleamed with dollar signs. Nicole Nordeste hauled the giant paper-maché puppet on her back from Northeastern University's Kretzman Quad, up Huntington Ave., through Copley Square to Boston Common, leading a procession of about 150 janitors, students, union officials and organizers marching for better wages for Northeastern janitors.

Nordeste, an alumna who's been working with the Justice for Janitors campaign for five years, didn't mind the load. "It's nothing compared to the burden the janitors carry every day," she quipped.

In 2007, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) led the Justice for Janitors campaign, negotiating a master contract for members of SEIU 615 statewide that set standards for wages, benefits and grievance procedures. Sergio Duenas, the organizer for Northeastern University janitors in 615 says they are covered by the master contract, but are fighting for an addendum. "Very few schools don't have an addendum or a side agreement," said Duenas, citing additional benefits offered at Harvard and Brandeis.

Northeastern released a statement reaffirming the appropriateness of the contract, which was "negotiated by the Local 615 SEIU and the Maintenance Contractors of New England. This contract was recommended by the union leadership and unanimously ratified by the union membership in September 2007."

Charlie Noss, a first year law student at Northeastern says the school employs 200 janitors—mostly through Consolidated Services Corp.— 45 percent of whom are employed part-time. "The cutoff for part-time work is 29 hours. That's too many for a part-time job, but not enough to make them eligible for health insurance," she says. "Northeastern has taken a common tactic by outsourcing their labor. Subcontracting allows for decreased wages and benefits and no communication between workers and the administration. Northeastern is not unique there, but it's an unfortunate practice."

Jorge Carrillo works the night shift at Northeastern, from 10pm-6am. "It violates the laws of nature; working happens during the day, sleeping at night," Carrillo said through a translator, before listing the health and family problems such hours incur. "Thanks to low salaries and increased cost of living, we are not able to live a minimum standard of life ... The American Dream we had of coming to this country to get a living wage, buy a home and care for our families has become an American nightmare."

The group marched to the Northeastern president's house on Beacon Street, a recently purchased chunk of prime real estate. "If the university's willing to pay $7.5 million for Joseph Aoun's house, why is a living wage for janitors impractical?" Ness asks.

The lights in the president's house were off and there were no confirmed sightings of Aoun. The group camped out on the Common all weekend (in spite of the cold, wet weather) and collected nearly 1,000 signatures from passersby. The weekend culminated with a rally on Monday night.

Carrillo appreciated the students assisting his cause. "These upcoming professionals are the hope of the class that is dying of hunger," he said.