"El pueblo unido jamas ser?? vencido!" A village united will never be defeated. The message came across loud and clear Tuesday night, passing among the Spanish and English speaking alike.
The group that congregated in front of Curtis Hall represented a wide variety of people, from janitors and union leaders to students and professors. The issue uniting them? Improving working conditions and wages for Tufts' janitors.
The "Teach-In", which was conducted in both languages, was designed to preserve the importance of unity and promote a mutual respect between workers and their student supporters.
Many students didn't even need the English translation. Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) leader Iris Halpern, for example, spoke briefly to the group both in English and Spanish. But despite lingual divisions, the spirit was universal.
"Go get to know [the workers], go shake their hands," Halpern encouraged. "Give them the respect they deserve."
Frank Sosa, a SEIU local 254 organizer, also spoke to the crowd at the Teach-In. "The abuse has to stop," he said to the group.
SLAM organized a Learn-In to immediately precede a Teach-In. About 75 students, faculty members, and union officials gathered in the Arts House to hear what everyone - from union leaders to professors - had to say.
Erin Dwyer, a junior, was one of the student organizers of the Learn-In. "It's really important to show our support to these workers," she said.
The problem between students and janitors may be that they simply can't relate to one another. There lies an inherent division between the students who pay - or who have parents who pay - well over $30,000 per year to attend a school and the workers who clean the school and earn less than half that figure annually.
The Tufts workers are making four basic demands: a living wage; job security; full-time work; and family health insurance.
The highest-paid janitor at Tufts currently makes $10.50 per hour, while Boston lists its living wage - the amount that a worker needs to be paid to be able to pay rent - as $15 per hour.
"No worker should have to work more than one job - especially not three and see their families four hours during the week," Sosa said.
"You can't live on what these people make," Flores added. "They're totally taking advantage of these people. It's just very wrong."
"I don't know how many people at this school have paid rent or even worked a minimum-wage job, but it's hard enough to sustain yourself on minimum wage, much less a family," Dwyer said.
When Tufts employed its janitors directly, the University paid them $11.84 per hour and provided benefits and tuition reimbursement. That changed in July 1994 when the work was contracted out to UNNICO, a company that cut wages, hours, and benefits. OneSource, the contractor that now handles Tufts' workers, came onto the scene in Aug. 1997, making deeper cuts, and refusing to hire most of the janitors who worked under the UNNICO contract. Neither SEIU nor Tufts took action against these measures.
"[The workers] feel that there is no security. There is a feeling of 'This can happen to us,'" Saenz said.
As long as workers are listed as part-time, Tufts is not required to provide them with any benefits. In addition, full-time workers are paid on a higher pay-scale than are part-time workers.
Physics professor Gary Goldstein was the only faculty member to speak at the Learn-In. Goldstein referred to the workers' lack of health insurance as "criminal".
"I think all of us are part of the same family of workers," Goldstein said. "We are all working toward a common goal, to educate young people. We all deserve dignity and justice."
Halpern agreed. "By paying tuition to this school, you are part of this community. By not being active and trying to change the working conditions at this campus, you're validating a classist, racist, and sexist structure," she said. "So by saying that you are neutral or that you don't have an opinion, you are actually supporting the University's stance and that classist, racist, sexist structure. Is that the kind of community you want to live in?"
"This is just the beginning," Halpern added. "Today is the first day of school."
For members of the union, SLAM, and the workers, now is the time to act. According to Saenz, the SEIU underwent a major administration change at the end of last February, and the janitors' contract expired in July. The contract has been extended twice; the second extension is set to end Sept. 28.
"This is perfect timing to engage with OneSource and Tufts about improving working conditions," Saenz said. Negotiations between OneSource, Tufts, and the union have been going on for almost two months.
Halpern recently met with President Bacow to discuss the situation, but was not satisfied. "Actions speak louder than words and all they've been giving us is words," she said. "Lip service doesn't count as action."
In addition to Tuesday night's Teach-In and Learn-In, the SEIU held a similar Learn-In on Tufts' Boston campus last night and has a rally and march planned. The Sept. 12 event will include workers, students, faculty, and community members, as well as political, religious, and community groups.
The union is reaching beyond the confines of Tufts, as well - the SEIU held a community meeting yesterday to discuss the university's situation.
"We're prepared to mobilize to a greater scale," Rocio Saenz, SEIU local 254 Deputy Trustee said. "Other actions will be taken."
One thing that every speaker at the Learn-In had in common was appreciation for those students who supported the cause. All repeatedly thanked the students for attending the meeting and urged them to spread the word to their peers about the Sept. 12 rally and march.
"It's very inspirational to see so many students supporting these workers," Saenz said.
Latino peer advisors Ariana Flores, a sophomore, and senior Maria Cristina Rveda were among those who showed their support for the janitors Tuesday night. For them, learning about the language barrier between the workers and the students inspired them to join the movement.
"I really do understand what they are going through and I want them to have a better life," Rveda said.
"It's hard for the workers to trust the students when they can't even communicate with them," Flores said.
Flores also pointed out the hypocrisy of a university that pays its president $350,000 per year, provides him with a car and a home, yet will not pay its janitors a living wage. She also cited the recent indoor firework show at freshmen orientation as an example of unnecessary expenditure.
"The University and OneSource have been keeping this a secret," Halpern said. "We need to start talking about it."
