Harold Goldsmith lifts his tired, weary arms to empty a small, gray trashcan into an overflowing garbage bin. This is the one hundred and eighty-fourth office he’s had to clean, and after more than eight hours, he is exhausted. He looks forward to his day off, the only one he gets all week, so he can do other odd jobs to raise extra money for himself and his two kids. Despite being a hardworking custodian for the University at Buffalo, Goldsmith still struggles to make ends meet and provide for his family.
About two years ago, UB Students Against Sweatshops (UBSAS) announced for the first time publicly, a campaign that would alleviate many of the harsh conditions faced by janitors like Goldsmith. While the campaign’s “victory” has brought about much advancement for these workers, problems persist with basic issues regarding salary, employment, and benefits.
Sixteen years ago, UB’s janitorial service workforce was comprised entirely of workers who belonged to a union. Over the years, as union workers left or retired, they were gradually replaced by contract workers until in 2005. Only 20 percent of the janitorial service workers at UB were union members.
UBSAS believes that as a premier institution of learning, UB should hold itself to a higher standard concerning the welfare of its employees. UBSAS has campaigned, demonstrated, and protested for the improvement of employment conditions for UB janitorial staff in their Justice for Janitors campaign. The theory goes that by improving the working conditions and standard of living of our janitors, there will be improvement in the quality of work and quality of the UB community. Campaigners strived to increase janitors’ earnings to the living wage, or the minimum hourly wage necessary to achieve what is considered a stable standard of living for someone working fulltime. UBSAS began its campaign for these conditions in the fall of 2006, led by students unwilling to turn a blind eye to the poverty-level wages forced upon UB’s employees.
“What’s the best way to get someone out of poverty? It’s to give them a job that pays a decent wage, give them health insurance so they can get care,” said Joanna Boron, a junior linguistics major who has been an active member of UBSAS for two years.
“So many problems in the world stem from people not being able to better their situation,” said Boron. “Everyone who is able to work full-time deserves to be able to pay their rent.”
Boron states that people who can’t support themselves and live below the poverty line have to seek aid from government programs such as welfare and Medicaid. “A lot of government programs are just a band-aid for lack of prior initiatives to deal with poverty. Providing good jobs and good schools does solve the problem,” she said.
Boron acknowledges that the Justice for Janitors campaign run by UBSAS has seen both positive and negative results. The campaign has raised state janitorial union worker’s starting hourly wage to $10.75. Private contract workers also experienced raises. Workers for contract employer ABM Industries, who were at one point making six dollars “and some change” per hour, now make $8.33-$9.33, depending on job duties. Workers for Hurley Group, who were only making $7.50 per hour, are now making $8.80.
Goldsmith, an employee of ABM Industries, has worked at UB North Campus for two non-consecutive years, having switched to a higher paying job for a few years before returning to UB.
“We’re barely making it, check by check,” he said. “I do side work, too, to make ends meet.” Goldsmith works eight and a half hours a day, often for six days out of the week. On the side, he sometimes works with his brothers, painting vinyl signs or doing electrical work.
Ron Frazier has worked for ABM at UB’s north for about five years. “Rent is five hundred a month, that’s two paychecks right there,” said Frazier. “Then there are bills. You’re lucky to get a hundred, a hundred fifty a month left extra. And then I got kids. If you want your kids insured, that comes out of your pocket.”
“We make too much to get Medicaid but not enough to get regular insurance, so we’re stuck somewhere in the middle,” said Goldsmith.
The posts now filled by Goldsmith and Frazier saw a lot of changeover before they took the positions. “Before, people came in every couple months,” said Goldsmith. “People would come and just quit cause the job can be demanding. If you don’t stay on top of it, it can drive you crazy.”
Boron said that with an average turnover rate of 300 percent in the janitorial positions, meaning the same position is filled three times in one year, it has been difficult to foster and maintain relationships with custodial staff.
“It was easier to get in,” said Frazier of ABM. “People come and go so much; they get tired of the work, low pay and no benefits.” Frazier said that the job is good for someone young without a lot of responsibilities but difficult for someone trying to make a living. Frazier pointed to Goldsmith, saying, “He cleans two hundred and something offices a day, he deserves more.”
Despite the difficulty and low pay, Goldsmith likes his job. “You go to work and you’re independent. No one pushing you, no one breathing down your back. You can just be free to do your job.”
“I’m busy right up to time to leave,” said Goldsmith. “Time goes by fast when you’re busy. That’s one thing I like about it. If I like what I’m doing, I’m happy.”
Job satisfaction, perhaps not something traditionally associated with being a janitor, is a high priority for Goldsmith. “I love working here, the people that I take care of all get an ‘A.’ The kids are nice too, they can act up a bit, but generally they’re nice.”
In March 2006, UB announced that its private company contracts would be allowed to expire without renewal over a period of five years and will be entirely replaced with state union workers employed by Sodexho, a facilities management company.
“The contract workers won’t be getting automatically hired into UB, which is what we originally wanted. They’ll have to go through an interview process and one year probation, regardless of how long they’ve worked here,” said Boron. “We had specifically asked that workers that have been here for a year or more be automatically transferred because, given the turnover rate, to have worked here for a year is really impressive.” Officials at UB Human Resources were unavailable for comment.
“UBSAS decided to accept it,” said Boron, speaking about UB’s decision. “It wasn’t perfect, it was definitely a compromise, but we’re happy that UB will be creating good-paying jobs, we’re happy that there will be an all-union workforce, and we’re glad that the university responded.”
Goldsmith and Frazier, however, are worried about UB’s plans to phase out private contract workers in favor of state workers.
“The reason I don’t go to the union is I like my people, the people I work with and the people I work for,” said Goldsmith. “If I worked for the state, they’d send me somewhere else. I don’t want to go somewhere else and have that change and not like my job.”
Goldsmith hopes that when his contract is up, he will be able to keep the same job he has now but through the state. “I’m thinking that since I’ve been doing a good job, I should have dibs. My people would give me a recommendation.”
Despite these concerns, Goldsmith admires the Justice for Janitors campaign and thinks it could improve his quality of life, if he chooses to join the union. “The raise would make a big difference. Gas is so high it’s ridiculous. You got telephone, gas, food… and then I have a daughter and a son, that’s enough right there.”
Frazier said the raise would help but that the benefits that come with entering a union are the main attraction. “I probably wouldn’t be making that much more—after taxes, union dues, benefit fees… I think the benefits are more important, family plan health insurance that would cover the kids in case anything happened.”
“I’d be much happier,” said Goldsmith. “I’d be able to save some money instead of living paycheck to paycheck. I could save for my kids’ college.”
The City of Buffalo passed a Living Wage Ordinance in 1999, amended in 2003 to include city employees and certain private companies who are contracted by the city. Buffalo follows other cities such as San Francisco, Detroit, Rochester, Washington D.C., and Miami with a total of 140 cities across the nation that have passed living wage ordinances. Universities that have implemented a living wage include Wesleyan University in 2000, Harvard University in 2001, and Stanford University in 2002.
The Buffalo Living Wage Commission, the major proponent of Buffalo’s Living Wage Ordinance, is currently pursuing a campaign to increase to the state and federal minimum wage. Sam Magavern of the UB Law School works as a volunteer compliance coordinator lawyer for the Buffalo Living Wage Commission. “One of the reasons why the whole living wage movement started is because the federal minimum wage has been stagnant for so long,” said Magavern.
The Commission is also working with the Erie County School Board to implement a living wage. “It would mostly affect food service workers and bus aids who currently make poverty wages,” said Magavern. It would also extend to private companies that hold contracts with schools. “If you don’t include private contract companies, what could happen is all the jobs would be contracted out to companies that would do it for less,” said Magavern.
Harold Goldsmith will continue to work hard at his job despite the setbacks. He said that in any event, he appreciates the efforts of UBSAS. “I think it’s for a good cause. People who do this work deserve more.”
Kathleen McClures is a senior English and Political Science major and a Features writer for Generation.
