It has been Wesleyan’s practice to employ contractors where specialization can provide more efficient services at lower cost. We expect to continue this practice.

USLAC has recommended that Wesleyan develop standards that would articulate the University’s expectations with respect to the level of wages and benefits provided by a contractor to its employees. They have suggested a detailed set of expectations, including guidelines for wages and benefits that should be paid by a contractor.

We believe that it is desirable to develop a set of standards for contractors that would reinforce Wesleyan’s expectation that a contractor obey all federal and state laws and provide competitive wages and benefits for its employees. Our goal is to insure both that employees of a contractor are treated fairly and that Wesleyan is able to allocate as many resources as possible to academic excellence and to scholarship support.

However, we do not plan to issue such standards until the collective bargaining process between the newly unionized janitors and Initial is concluded. To do so before the collective bargaining process is concluded would interfere with the negotiations which are rightly the responsibility of the employer and the union that was elected by the janitors to represent them in contract negotiations.

I urge that Initial and the Union engage in meaningful and comprehensive negotiations and that they bring the negotiations to a successful and rapid conclusion.