Dear President Bennet,

We were disappointed to learn this week that the University is impeding the efforts of Wesleyan’s janitors to organize into a union. As you are probably aware, the 31 janitors who are employed at Wesleyan through Initial Cleaning Services, a subcontractor, have wanted to form a union for over three years. The Initial janitors on this campus earn between $6.50 and $8 an hour, and lack health insurance, pension benefits, or job security. Seeking to improve these conditions, over 80% of Initial janitors have signed union authorization cards in the past two months.

As you know, a union can be recognized through two procedures. The first is a "card check," through which a company recognizes the union upon receiving authorization cards from a majority of its employees. The second is a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election; this latter option is normally pursued when there are allegations of coercion or misconduct on the part of the union. Because no such allegations have been raised–indeed, the cards were collected almost exclusively by students–and Initial had effectively agreed to recognize the union through a card check, the second option clearly does not befit this situation. Yet on Monday, we were surprised to learn that the University prodded Initial to request an NLRB election. This action interferes with the janitors’ attempts to achieve better working conditions.

We believe that Wesleyan University has the obligation to respect the rights of all members of this community. In the case of the Initial janitors, this means allowing them to organize without an onerous and lengthy NLRB election. Such an election will only serve to delay union representation and improved conditions for the Initial janitors. We know that it is in your power to ensure that the ideals of this University are evidenced in its treatment of all individuals on campus. We urge you to support the Initial janitors’ efforts to unionize.

Signed,
The members of USLAC