Norma Mercedes, an Initial janitor who works the night-shift at Wesleyan and as a house-maid elsewhere, usually wakes up at 3am and goes to bed at 10pm. Last Saturday, she woke up with no feeling in her arm. When she went to the hospital, a doctor told her she needed to work less and that stress was making her sick. Norma can now quit her job as a house-maid – thanks to a new contract between Initial Cleaning Services and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 531, which ensures her and all of the Initial janitors a living wage, health benefits, a pension, and job security.

After seven months of organizing and 33 1/2 hours of occupying the Admissions Office, President Bennet gave in to workers’ and USLAC’s demands. Knowing that all USLAC members were ready to stay in the Admissions Office for more than two weeks, President Bennet intervened in the negotiations between Initial and the Union on Wednesday night, offering to compensate Initial for any expenses incurred by the new contract. Within hours, Initial and the Union agreed to a contract that was even better than the one the Union previously had on the table. For many workers, this means a 50% increase in their wages in the next year.

President Bennet also agreed that if Wesleyan ever changes contractors, the new contractor will have to rehire the workers at the same wages and benefits or better. This gives the workers job security. Additionally, if the One Source janitors at Freeman Athletic Center choose to unionize, Wesleyan will not intervene in the process and will foot the bill for expenses incurred from a new contract. 

Finally, President Bennet agreed to a timeline for creating a Code of Conduct for Wesleyan. This requires him to present his points of disagreement with USLAC’s 8 Points for a Responsible Code of Conduct by April 12. Between April 18 and April 23, a committee consisting of USLAC’s five negotiators, two faculty members, and a few administrators will write a Code of Conduct that will establish a set of minimum employment standards (including a living wage and basic work benefits) for ALL workers on campus. President Bennet understands that if he does not follow this timeline, USLAC and the student body will be forced to resort to direct action again. 

Throughout this campaign and especially during the occupation, USLAC has been in close contact with the Initial workers. The janitors participated in the planning of the action and
were enthusiastic about its execution. Workers visited the Admissions Office, went to and spoke at the rally, and were even present for some of our lengthy discussions during the
occupation. Henry Gonzalez and Luis Carlos Alzate, two Initial janitors and representatives of the workers, had cell phones with them at all times so that we could contact them during negotiations to make sure that the workers got what they wanted. 

This victory demonstrates the power that students and workers have when they take collective action. Now, the workers have the job security that they need to fight for their interests without fear of losing their jobs. Now, we as students know that we have a powerful position in this institution, one that can engender positive change through creative thinking and political action.

The support that we received during the occupation was tremendous. USLAC wants to thank all of those people who came to Tuesday’s rally and brought us their food and enthusiasm throughout the occupation. We are especially grateful to Desperate Measures whose impromptu performance Tuesday night gave us a desperately needed dose of humor; the DJ’s at WESU for the politico-musical inspiration they provided; and Prof. Claire Potter for bringing her class to the occupied office in support of the janitors and USLAC (the pizza was good too). Also, thank you to the Admissions Office staff and Public Safety for tolerating our presence and noise: please send your orders for a lifetime supply of Tylenol to President Bennet.

We need everyone to know that this struggle is not yet over. President Bennet has yet to sign USLAC’s Code of Conduct. If we do not come to an agreement by April 23, we need the Wesleyan community to demonstrate its support for campus workers by participating in some form of direct action until the Code is signed. If the support we received during the
occupation was indicative of the community’s commitment to this campaign, then President Bennet should seriously consider the consequences of failing to sign the Code.