Service, Maintenance Employees Threaten to Strike University is prepared for walkout, will operate as usual

BU service and maintenance workers rallied recently on Silber Way. Their union is negotiating a new contract with the University. Photo courtesy of Service Employees International Union/Eugenio Villasante

More than 700 custodial, maintenance, skilled trade, and mail employees are threatening to strike unless the University agrees to freeze their health insurance contributions and increase wages more than BU has offered to do.

The workers voted yesterday to authorize a possible strike if their union, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), does not reach a deal with the University for a new, multiyear contract by midnight tomorrow, October 31, the deadline for the contract negotiations.

“There are two sticking points,” says Roxana Rivera, New England district leader for Local 32BJ. “BU is still not willing to give a cost of living increase to the workers and our families. That will cause workers and families to fall behind.” The second disagreement involves the union’s demand for no change in workers’ contributions toward health insurance premiums, Rivera says. “We can’t afford to pay more for health care. This is one of the most expensive cities to live in.”

Diane Tucker, BU’s chief human resources officer, says BU has offered raises that are “very competitive.” She says she doesn’t know how Rivera is calculating rises in the future cost of living. “Our wages have exceeded the cost of living over the past two contracts. Our goal is to come out with a competitive salary for our employees and competitive benefits.”

Tucker says BU will share expected savings in health care costs with its workers in coming years, as the University redesigns its benefits plan to avoid the “Cadillac” tax that the federal government will impose on plans that it deems excessively expensive. She says the University cannot guarantee that the recent moderation in health costs will continue, and therefore can not guarantee to freeze worker contributions.

“Health care in the United States has been going up 6 to 8 percent on an annual basis, and fortunately, the University has been able to control our costs,” Tucker says. “We share that savings with our employees. But we can’t guarantee costs won’t go up. No one can guarantee that.”

“The University is incredibly generous with wages, including overtime, compared to the market for full-time custodial and trade positions,” says Juditra Burgess, BU’s director of labor relations. “The average annual salary for this group is over $53,000, and the average amount of overtime divided among the group brings their average salary up to over $60,000. They are among the highest paid in almost every single job classification compared to our peers in Boston.”

Custodians at BU earn $22.43 an hour, more than is paid at Harvard, MIT, Boston College, and Wellesley. Grounds workers at BU earn $26.16 an hour, more than is paid at Harvard, Northeastern, and Bentley. Electricians and plumbers at BU both earn $35.77 an hour. Harvard, MIT, BC, and Bentley all pay less.

Gary Nicksa, BU’s senior vice president for operations, says that if overtime, shift differentials, and other premium pay are included, BU custodians earn, on average, over $50,000 a year, plus benefits. He says licensed trades staff earn, on average, in excess of $80,000 a year, plus benefits. Nicksa says wages for BU Facilities and Mail Services workers grew 38.4 percent over the past 11 years, compared to a 26.7 percent increase in the Boston consumer price index (CPI-U).

Nicksa says all Boston University employees are eligible for the same competitive benefits, which include medical and dental insurance, 403(b) retirement savings, life and disability insurance, paid holidays (18 days in 2014–2015), paid vacation, paid sick time, health and wellness programs, and tuition remission for employees and their dependents.

About the union calling a strike if the deadline passes without a deal, Rivera says that the union’s bargaining committee is “going to have to make a decision at the end of Friday.…BU is doing well financially, and all we’re asking for is a cost of living increase that allows people not to fall behind in coming years,” plus some assurance workers won’t pay more for health care. “Our hope is that we get to an agreement. It’s not easy for a middle-class family to consider a strike.”

SEIU has represented BU’s service and maintenance employees since 1951. “We have had fairly good labor harmony with the SEIU, with only two strikes” during that time, Burgess says.

This year’s negotiations have been complicated, according to Nicksa, by the fact that the University has never dealt with New York–based Local 32BJ, which is representing these BU employees for the first time. Rivera says BU workers benefit from their representation by a larger union—32BJ has more than 145,000 members—because “for workers, it’s very important that there’s enough strength in order to build good jobs.”

Should the union strike, Nicksa says, the University has put in place support systems to guarantee continued operations, minimize disruption, and keep the BU community informed of any changes. He says the union that is threatening action does not represent food, athletic facilities, or BU Shuttle (the BUS) personnel. “Sympathy” walkouts by other unions are prohibited under their contracts with the University.

All classes on both the Charles River and Medical Campuses would continue as scheduled, and all University offices would remain open, even if striking workers picket. Burgess says workers may legally picket on public property outside of BU workplaces, and may not impede classroom and building entrances and exits.

Barbara Laverdiere, director of Dining Services, says she has been in contact with all of the University’s food vendors to ensure that there would be no disruptions during a strike. All dining facilities would be open as usual, as would all libraries and FitRec. The BUS would continue its normal schedule, and there are no plans to cancel or postpone any events.

The Boston University Police Department would dispatch officers to any picket or protest site to ensure order. Chief Thomas Robbins says the department had a test run of sorts in mid-October, when the union sponsored a rally between Marsh Plaza and One Silber Way. The rally leader “was a perfect gentleman,” says Robbins. “I don’t expect any issues, but if there are, there will be no toleration of any nonsense.”

William Walter, assistant vice president for operations and services for the Charles River Campus, says the University has done everything possible to minimize the impact of a possible strike on core functions and is prepared to bring in temporary replacement workers within seven days. His office has arranged for adequate staffing through Monday and has stockpiled 60 days’ worth of supplies, from towels and toilet paper to nuts and bolts.

David Flynn, Walter’s counterpart on the Medical Campus, says similar preparations have been made there. Neither the School of Medicine nor Boston Medical Center should experience any disruptions, says Flynn.

Walter says there are some employees on both campuses belonging to Local 32BJ who have said that they will continue to work even if a strike were called. Anyone who wants to work, he says, is welcome to do so. Federal mediators, contacted by the University to help the two sides reach an agreement, would continue that effort even after the deadline for a new contract has passed, according to Tucker.

Students, faculty, staff, and parents with questions about the strike should read BU Today for updates. The University administration is monitoring the comments on the site and will address relevant questions posted in the Comment section.

In case a strike occurs, find answers to frequently asked questions here.