Shouting students stood outside the entrance to the Indoor Track and Tennis Facility (ITT) while, inside, President McCartney held her fall party on Friday, Sept. 9. The mass of students chanting “1 2 3 4, we won’t take it anymore! 5 6 7 8, come on Kathy, negotiate!” were protesting the college’s treatment of its dining and housekeeping workers in ongoing contract negotiations.
The protest was organized by the students of Smith College United Student Labor Action Coalition (USLAC) in conjunction with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 211, the dining and housekeeping workers union. The union is demanding wage increases to keep up with inflation, prorated healthcare and increased hiring of workers, among other things.
“The main thing is to show support for our workers,” said Amelia Wesley ’25, a USLAC member. “We just want to help bring the admin’s attention to the fact that understaffing is a huge problem here. And they try to ignore it, but clearly students and staff are not ignoring it.”
The protestors met outside the Campus Center at 6 p.m. before marching to the ITT, chanting, “Hire more, pay better!” At the ITT, protesters were careful to stand on the grass outside the entrance to the party, with organizers reminding other students that Campus Safety could be called if they were in the street.
As people entered the party, many seemed surprised to see the protesters. Some partygoers stopped to talk to students about what the issues were with union negotiations.
“I appreciate that the students are supporting the dining workers, but I don’t know enough about the situation in terms of where the college is coming from to comment on it really,” said an anonymous instructor who was attending the party and stopped to talk to protesters. “But I appreciate hearing their side, and I would like to know more.”
Inside the president’s party, union workers wearing purple also answered questions and talked to partygoers about the contract negotiation process. So did other supporters, including some faculty, who wore pins in support of the union
Usually Smith dining workers are unable to attend the president’s fall party, instead accepting overtime hours and staffing the event. But this year’s party came at the end of SEIU Local 211’s overtime action from Aug. 23 to Sept. 9, during which time dining and housekeeping workers refused to accept overtime hours to draw attention to the dramatic understaffing of their departments.
“We just don’t have enough people to do the work. We’re down to less than half the dining staff we used to have when I started, with 15% more students,” said SEIU Local 211’s president, Ilse Barron.
Among union demands is a wage increase to keep up with inflation and increasing living expenses. A 2.5% automatic wage increase was given to other bargaining units, like custodians, groundskeepers and painters, but SEIU Local 211 has to negotiate for it. The union is also demanding an 18.75% raise over the next three years.
“We’re people. We are skilled labor, we deserve a living wage and honestly the college can afford it too,” said Adam Lueb, dining room coordinator at Cutter/Ziskind. “They say they love us, but kind words don’t pay rent. So just pay us!”
Exacerbating concerns about low wages, all Smith employees are on the same healthcare plan, but for dining and housekeeping workers, the healthcare plan can take up to 40% of their average take home pay. The union is demanding a prorated plan where employees pay different amounts in proportion with their wages.
As well, union members have issues with the housekeeping uniforms introduced last semester, which some housekeepers have called “demeaning,” and would like staff to be able to buy their own uniforms and be reimbursed.
These negotiations have been ongoing this summer and SEIU Local 211 feels that the college has not been negotiating in good faith. According to multiple union and USLAC members, the college’s negotiating team has been showing up late to meetings, and, while the union has revised its demands, the college continues to propose the same one, seemingly unwilling to negotiate.
“Smith is currently in contract renewal negotiations with Local 211 of SEIU (dining services and housekeeping), one of seven unions at Smith,” said Stacey Schmeidel, the Senior Director for News and Strategic Communications for Smith College. “We have been negotiating in good faith and are confident that we can arrive at an agreement that is fair and equitable to both union employees and the college, as we have with the other unions at Smith.”
“I’m just disappointed to hear that what the union is asking for is not already part of their contracts,” said Hazel Parker-Meyers ’25, who attended the protest. “Keeping up with the cost of living in Northampton should absolutely be something that Smith is doing.”
In speeches and discussions during the protest, USLAC members said that hiring new workers for dining would help reduce the workload in dining halls, improving quality of life for workers and students by increasing food quality and decreasing wait times, a persistent issue. Dining and housekeeping workers interact with students everyday, with many working alongside them in work study positions.
“Historically, students have supported workers through contract negotiations, and it has always made a huge, huge difference,” said Wesley. “We’re just hoping that Smith College knows that we’re watching.”
