A Blog Called Hope

Currently, there is an emerging labor dispute between the janitorial staff at Providence College and Hurley of America, the contractor which provides cleaning services for the College.  Unfortunately, Providence College is stuck in the middle.  This is an all-too-common occurrence: universities often contact out cleaning and food services in order to save money, and the contractors providing those services pay wages which typically are not in accordance with living standards and housing costs.  For a personal example, read this letter to the editor of The Cowl, the Providence College newspaper.

A rally was held at Providence College today at 3pm in support of the janitors and despite the cold, rainy weather a crowd of 60-70 students, faculty, city councilors, and community members were in attendance to show their support.

The janitors are represented by the SEIU Local 615, and the current contract between the employees and Hurley will expire on January 31st.  While the details of the contract negotiations are still largely a private matter, the janitors who ensure that the campus of Providence College is clean every night would like to see their wages and benefits increase.  Likewise, they would also appreciate pleasant working conditions free from their supervisor’s harassment and intimidation.

A full-time janitor makes about $11.50 per hour.  This would be great when I was 18 living at home, but when you do the math it is only $460 a week – before taxes.  Most of these janitors have families they are trying to support and their wages have not kept up with the rapid increase in Rhode Island housing costs (especially in the past 5 years).   According to a report published by the Poverty Institute called the “2006 Rhode Island Standard of Need,” the janitorial staff at Providence College does not earn a “sufficient net income to meet basic needs” of housing, food, transportation, child care, and medical costs.  Both the Providence City Council and the Providence College Faculty Senate have passed resolutions in support of the janitors, calling for a living wage increase in their salaries.

The more fundamental problem at issue is the general undervaluation of low-skilled work in a dynamic American economy.  The irony of low-skilled work is that it is also generally labor intensive (i.e. janitorial staff, housecleaners, garbage collection, etc.).  As a society, to ensure that low-skilled work receives a living wage, we must acknowledge its value.  While doctors, lawyers, investors, and engineers are all rewarded with generous salaries for their education and skills, it must be understood that janitors are also valuable members of the community, performing important functions which should be duly compensated.

We here at the Rhode Island Democratic Party join with the many others and express our support for the janitorial staff at Providence College.  For more information and to offer assistance please contact Kevin Moore at kmoore08@providence.edu.  You could also send an email to the President of Providence College, Father Shanley, asking him to support the janitors by voicing his concern about a living wage.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Labor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.