Harvard Janitors Threaten Walkout Two Weeks After Dining Worker Strike Ends

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Roughly two weeks after striking dining hall workers reached a resolution, the Harvard University janitors' union is now eyeing a strike of its own.

In a release sent to the press, 32BJ SEIU said janitors at the university voted Thursday to authorize their union’s bargaining committee to call for a strike if they do not reach an agreement with Harvard within a week. Their contract is set to expire Tuesday.

Negotiations continue, and have been underway since Oct. 7, according to the union.

During that time, Harvard has been also been working with UNITE HERE Local 26, which represents the union dining hall workers. Those negotiations led to a strike, which ended Oct. 26.

Read More: Harvard Dining Workers' Strike Ends With Deal

SEIU is working with the university on a multi-year contract it says covers 700 janitors. In addition to the contract, the release said, the union is seeking additional full-time jobs, ensuring health care for its members.

"Major issues also include a fair wage increases to keep up with the rising cost of living and maintaining affordable family health care," the union said in its release.

In a statement shared with Patch, the university replied:

"Harvard has enjoyed a long and productive relationship with SEIU. Our custodial colleagues play an important role in support of Harvard’s teaching and research mission and we have worked hard to ensure that their wages – currently an average of $22.07 per hour – and their benefits remain highly competitive in the local markets. We continue to negotiate in good faith towards a mutually beneficial agreement."

Image via James MH, Flickr/Creative Commons