To the Editor:
Tired of being told by RPI that forming a union is a bad idea? Well, I sure am. Ever wonder why they are working so hard to tell us to vote “No!”? Ever wonder why they don’t talk about how they plan on fixing some of the problems we face as Environmental and Site Services employees? Ever wonder what life would be like if we formed our own union?
Recently, we learned that the average wage for an environmental specialist is $9.64 per hour. This is less than the $15.22 per hour that Marist College housekeepers make after only three years! It is also less than the $13.25 per hour that janitors make at Vassar College to start, the $11.01 that Skidmore College custodians make to start and the $9.74 per hour that The Sage Colleges housekeepers make to start. All of these workers have formed unions affiliated with SEIU.
Question: How come a housekeeper at Marist College can make $15.22 per hour after three years and pay nothing out of pocket for medical insurance, and we can have an average salary of $9.64 per hour and be forced to pay 18 percent of our premiums? Might it be because the housekeepers at Marist College negotiated their wages and benefits and presently we are told what our wages and benefits are by RPI?
What of fairness? At every college I have mentioned that formed a union, they have a grievance procedure. And guess what? If you don’t like the answer you are given by your supervisor or director, you can go to arbitration. That means that the decision isn’t made by RPI, but by a “neutral” person who listens to the facts and is objective.
Sure, if we form a union we would have to pay dues. But I know I would be glad to pay $7.00 a week in dues if I were making over $600 a week in gross salary like the three year housekeepers at Marist College. Wouldn’t you?
I’m not unhappy working at RPI. I just think there is a way we could improve our working conditions and that is by forming a union, having a say in decisions, and negotiating a contract that addresses our needs. In doing so, we, as employees of RPI and as members of our union, will have controlled our own destiny, rather than placing our fate in the hands of RPI.
Sheila Lozo
Environmental Services
