SOUTH HADLEY — Union workers at Mount Holyoke College rallied for better wages and benefits today, but in a sign of the times, they also want the college to start paying into a legal defense program in case immigrant workers need deportation protection.
The union of 170 employees includes custodians, food service workers, groundskeepers and tradespeople. They are asking the college to pay for legal services that would help workers pay for “many issues, including immigration matters.”
A union official said up to 35% of its workers at the college are immigrants and need the same protection that its other members have in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The official said those workers benefit from employer-funded legal services.
Evelyn Fleming, a Mount Holyoke student of politics and geography, came to the 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union rally to show solidarity Tuesday. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
“There’s massive immigration issues going on,” said Kevin Brown, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, representing Mount Holyoke workers.
“Many of our members have temporary protective status that may end over the next couple of years. People need to figure out how to adjust their status. It can be very expensive to get a lawyer. That’s why we think the legal fund benefit is incredibly important for them,” said Brown.
The union representative also told The Republican the fund would help defend legal immigrants who are taken into custody illegally by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“It would be a vast improvement in their lives to have that protection,” said Brown.
He said the college has resisted contributing to this program.
Union workers also are seeking unspecified pay raises. While both sides have yet to reach agreement on this, they are making progress.
“We’re not there yet on wages. The college seems to have some interest in working together, which we’re encouraged by. We’re not at zero, and hopefully we can bridge the gap in the next few weeks,” said Brown.
Evelyn Fleming, center, a Mount Holyoke student of politics and geography, came to the 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union rally to show solidarity Tuesday. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
Monique Nelson, of Holyoke, has worked at the school for 30 years, the last 10 in the custodial department. This single mother of two adult children said she has taken a second job, so she has enough money to pay her bills.
“It’s all about the livable wage. What they’re giving us is not enough for us to take care of our households and our families. We need them to understand that,” she said.
Nelson, on the union’s bargaining committee, also wants the college to give bonuses to longtime employees.
Monique Nelson is a custodian at Mount Holyoke and spoke out to demand fair union contracts before the expiration of the current agreements on June 30. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
“We have been supporting the college for all of our working careers and feel that should be worth something,” she said.
Rich Sugrue, 39, of Holyoke has been a cook at the college for seven years. He said the formula to boost pay is unfair and needs to change, because it favors higher-paid employees, giving them raises based on a percentage of what they already make.
“That means people who are making more money get bigger raises. It compounds each time someone gets a raise, and the disparity between what (workers) make has just grown greater and greater. It doesn’t reflect a lot of the hard work those people do,” he said.
Workers also are asking Mount Holyoke to fund a 401(k) supplemental retirement savings program to complement the 403(b) retirement plan the college already pays into. The union said the college is resisting this demand.
The workers’ current contract expires June 30. The last time both sides met at the bargaining table was three years ago, when negotiators agreed on a contract after at least one public rally.
“We had a good experience last time. We had to work for it,” said Sugrue. “We had to show up to rallies and make our presence known on campus. We had support from the local community, and eventually the college gave in. They did what was right.”
Monique Nelson is a custodian at Mount Holyoke College and spoke out to demand fair union contracts before the expiration of the current agreements on June 30. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
In a statement sent to The Republican, college spokesperson Christian Feuerstein said, “Mount Holyoke College is actively engaged in contract negotiations and cannot speak to specifics at this time.”
“However, MHC leadership is confident that the administration and union bargaining teams will be able to work together in good faith to reach a just and sustainable result for all college employees.”
