Hundreds March for Living Wage

A Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) rally drew hundreds to Holyoke Center on Friday to support a $20 living wage for Harvard’s janitors.

With the janitors’ union contract expiring on Nov. 15, SLAM members said they hoped to drum up support for the janitors going into negotiations for a new contract.

Several janitors were in attendance along with representatives from their union—Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 615—and members from various progressive groups. The protest also included local community leaders.

Speaking from a bullhorn, Cambridge City Councillor Brian P. Murphy ’86-’87 declared, “This university is only as strong as it treats all of its workers.”

While SLAM organizer Michael A. Gould-Wartofsky ’07 estimated that approximately 200 people attended the initial protest, when they marched through Harvard Yard towards Memorial Hall, he said the numbers swelled to approximately 300 people.

The protesters reached Sanders Theatre at approximately 5 p.m., when University President Lawrence H. Summers was addressing a crowd of parents visiting for freshman parents’ weekend.

Once at the south entrance of Sanders Theatre, Peter Rider—treasurer and director of higher education for SEIU Local 615—shouted to the crowd.

“This fight is not won at the negotiating table, but by what we are doing out here right now,” Rider said.

Protesters stood outside of the doors of Sanders Theatre for approximately 30 minutes unsuccessfully waiting for Summers to exit.

According to Gould-Wartofsky, SLAM’s petition—which he said has more than 700 signatures, mostly from undergraduates—was presented to Summers and taken by an assistant.

“Now President Summers knows what we’re demanding,” Gould-Wartofsky said. “Now the ball’s in his court, and it’s up to him to see the light.”

Several students came to show their support for Harvard’s janitors, including William M. Skinner ’09, who said that he attended because of his personal interactions with janitors.

“I’m out here because I’ve talked to janitors in my dorm,” Skinner said. “A lot of them come from underprivileged countries, and they are just trying to eke out a living here. I think that since Harvard is so rich and prestigious, it should set an example for treating its workers well.”

Harvard’s wealth and prestige were key reasons offered for the increase in the janitorial wages. One protestor’s sign read, “Cost of living wage: 1/2 percent of last year’s endowment return. Dignity and respect: priceless.” Others emphasized the importance of students treating janitors with respect.

Gould-Wartofsky, who is also a Crimson editor, said the protest was about student involvement.

“This protest is about students standing up for the people who stand up for us everyday,” he said. “This protest is about the power of students and workers united together to achieve victories that they could not win alone.”

According to Alyssa M. Aguilera ’08, a member of the SLAM leadership, the goal of the protest was to bring attention to the janitors’ situation.

“We’re trying to build momentum, trying to raise awareness of the issue, and trying to put pressure on the administration,” she said.