The Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) held its second large-scale protest in as many weeks yesterday to coincide with the Admissions Office's April Open House program.
A crowd of about 45 students, faculty, and administrators gathered on the Tisch Library patio at 3 p.m. to hear several speakers make the case for increased compensation for the University's janitorial staff.
Irlanda Castillo, janitorial union steward and an employee of OneSource -- the company to which Tufts outsources its janitorial labor -- described her experiences in Spanish. SLAM coordinator and senior Ariana Flores then translated her statements into English.
"Some of the janitors' children here have to start working at age 14 just to help support their families because Tufts doesn't provide enough money for our services," Flores said, translating for Castillo.
Castillo said Tufts ignores the fact that a sizeable sector of its workforce is living below the poverty line. "We won't stop [protesting] until we get the answers that we deserve," she said.
OneSource is currently negotiating a new contract with the janitorial union, after which the University will renegotiate its deal with OneSource.
Flores said about 1700 members of the Tufts community have signed a petition demanding better treatment for janitors. The petition was presented to President Larry Bacow, but Flores said she has not received a response.
"We're here today to tell the administration that we're not going to stand for this kind of treatment," she said. "We'll be back every week until this issue is resolved."
The rally then circled Ballou Hall, where an April Open House reception was being held in the Coolidge Room.
Rally participants shouted various chants towards the upper windows of the building, including "I don't know but I've been told, Bacow's pockets are lined with gold, lies and tricks will not divide, students, workers side by side."
Before the rally's conclusion, several prospective student groups walked by and were greeted with shouts of "shame on Tufts."
