Every day, thousands of workers clean our state’s centers for higher education. Many of them do not see full-time work, and struggle to put together a living so that their children can have the opportunity to attend the schools they clean. Although at Northeastern, the jobs are a mix of full and part-time. The custodial workers there are amongst the lowest paid in the industry whn compared to their peers in institutions such as Boston University and Boston College. Standards of Northeastern’s low pay can be contrasted to their high rate of tuition increases. As institutions like NEU price working families out of an education, they continue to erect new buildings and satellite campuses.
Tomasa Castro has worked as a part time contracted janitor for 11 years, and has been at Northeastern University for the past 3 years. She lives in Roxbury with her 3 children, whom she has raised as a single mother. “I’ve done a little bit of everything to support my family-cleaning, working at beauty salon, and making food to sell.” Tomasa is a proud parent- two of her children are currently studying at local universities, and her youngest is planning on attending college when he graduates from high school. “My children know what sacrifice is. It’s a dream for me that my children are able to study. I want something better for them.”Tomasa would love to have a full time job- this would provide stability and more income so that she’s able to help fund her children’s education and make ends meet.
Boston is among the fastest-recovering metropolitan areas in the country. Massachusetts has more higher education jobs per capita than any other state- 1 job for every 54 people. Before the recession, the economic impact of higher education in Massachusetts was about $73 billion. Higher education employed 141,000 people in Massachusetts in 2010, and the state is expected to grow to 155,680 by 2018. Recent expansions at Northeastern are proof of this success.
In the coming months, the 14,000 contracted janitors that work in this industry and other industries that drive our economy will be negotiating a new contract to continue improving standards that they have fought so hard to achieve. Like so many, their hope is to share in the continued growth and prosperity that those at the very top have enjoyed.
This marks the end of a week of action by SEIU Local 615, as we stand in solidarity with hundreds of janitors are going on strike in Houston, Texas, and remember our own Justice for Janitors strike ten years ago.
