Boston College facilities workers, represented by 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU), rallied outside St. Ignatius Church Friday afternoon to call for a new contract with higher wages and access to free skills training for more than 300 unionized employees.
The current contract, originally set to expire on May 31, was extended by a mutual agreement between BC and union representatives on May 29. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement before the extension expires on June 30, union members will have the legal right to strike.
“During this crucial moment for the future of higher education, it’s never been more important to invest in the individuals who keep our institutions running,” said Kevin Brown, executive vice president of 32BJ SEIU, in a press release. “As the cost of living skyrockets and politicized cuts to higher education continue, Boston College needs to do even more to support its most fundamental workers.”
32BJ SEIU represents custodians, tradespeople, groundskeepers, food service workers, and mailroom staff at BC. In the ongoing contract negotiations, the union is seeking pay raises that outpace inflation and the establishment of a free skills-training program for workers to build expertise and advance their careers.
Kristin Follett, a BC gardener, said the wage increase and job training opportunities that the contract would provide are essential not only for professional advancement, but also for covering workers’ basic needs.
“This isn’t just about numbers on a page,” Follett said. “It’s about people, it’s about groceries, rent, childcare, medical bills. It’s about being able to come to work every day knowing you’re being fairly compensated for what you bring to the table.”
According to Dan Nicolai, 32BJ SEIU New England district leader and organizing coordinator, the union’s demands center on a desire for fairness and respect—values long held by its members.
“You hear a lot in the colleges and universities in Boston about respect—respect for all people, all races, all genders, all orientations, all faiths, respect for everybody at the colleges,” Nicolai said. “That is a value that we support and we applaud. In fact, the union contract here at BC had anti-discrimination language and language about everybody being treated equal before the college.”
Bill Humphrey, Newton Ward 5 City Councilor, reiterated the importance of service workers’ contributions to the community, despite their lack of mention in recent news stories.
“We know that there’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about academics, about research, all these impressive things—they’re all very important,” he said. “But what we also know is none of that is possible without folks like you working here every day, whether people are putting you in the headlines or not.”
The contract talks follow a long history of prior agreements between the union and the University. But according to Fred Vautour, a custodian who has worked at BC for over 31 years, past concessions have eroded wages and overtime hours once guaranteed to union members.
“Twenty-six years ago, they took away our starting pay for custodians,” Vautour said. “Two years later—the next contract—they took away our overtime, which brought in temps to do our overtime. We lost 50 percent of all overtime. Over the last 15 years, the previous session, COVID, we’ve averaged 2 percent [pay increases] per year.”
Daniel Shen, an MIT graduate student and member of the graduate student unit of the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, pointed out how contract talks at BC are being closely watched by other universities across Greater Boston, especially in the wake of recent federal funding cuts.
“We understand this is the first higher ed contract that’s being settled since Trump took office, since the universities have experienced these funding cuts,” Shen said. “We are all looking very closely at what happens here because we know that what BC does, MIT, Harvard—they’re also going to be looking at.”
According to Nicolai, the outcome of these negotiations will have ripple effects across other workplaces in the city.
“When you fight to raise standards here, you are setting a standard for others in other workplaces all around the city,” Nicolai said. “That’s just how it is right now, and there’s plenty of areas where standards are under attack.”
The rally came after a May 7 demonstration that drew a crowd of roughly 100 union members and supporters. In the weeks since, two dozen faculty members and a dozen student organizations have signed a letter asking BC to support the unionized staff, and the majority of the union’s 317 members have signed a petition.
Humphrey emphasized that rallies like Friday’s are important because they give union members a chance to connect, share their experiences, and build a sense of solidarity.
“These types of rallies are very important for getting the members together so they can hear each other’s stories and remind themselves that they are part of something powerful,” he said. “It’s very easy in this society to think of yourself as an individual, and this is a reminder that you’re not, and that’s where the power comes from.”
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