Most of the 425 janitors at UM -- none of whom are unionized -- currently earn less than $17,000 a year, with many earning only $6.40 an hour. The protestors frequently compare these figures to the $516,904 annual salary earned by the University's president, Donna Shalala, whom some blame for not helping in the janitors' efforts to join the Service Employees International Union.
In contrast, Dartmouth's janitors, all of whom are members of SEIU Local 560, earn between $13.63 and $15 per hour, according to Linda Hathorn, director of custodial services at Facilities, Operations and Management. Janitors at the College also receive health and dental insurance, a minimum of two weeks' vacation and a "nighttime differential" for working later shifts.
"I feel that FO&M has a good relationship with the union. Of course we disagree on things at times, but that's the way of the working world," Hathorn said.
Catherine Henault, associate director of Residential Operations, said she believes that the 42 janitors employed by the Office of Residential Life are also satisfied with their jobs.
"We have a workforce with a lot of staff that have been in residential life for a long time. They really like the students. In general, they are probably happy," Henault said.
A significant difference between janitors' circumstances at the College and UM is that Dartmouth does not hire its janitors through a subcontractor.
"Our employees are our employees," Hathorn said.
In contrast, the janitors at UM are subcontracted out through the firm Unicco. Protestors allege that Unicco is largely responsible for the difficulties janitors have faced in their attempts to join the union.
Ida Jamieson, the steward for SEIU on behalf of the janitors employed by ORL, said she believes that the union is mostly responsible for the success Dartmouth janitors have had in obtaining a fair wage and benefits.
"We get treated a lot better than janitors at other schools, and it's because of the union," Jamieson said.
The UM's administration is attempting to take a neutral stand on the issue of unionization, arguing that it cannot force Unicco to accept the method of unionization preferred by the protestors. This issue of precisely how unionization would occur is now at the center of the debate, with the university offering to raise the hourly wage of janitors by over $2 and to give them health insurance.
"We do not believe the current debate between SEIU and Unicco ... is worth jeopardizing the health of one student or one Unicco worker," Shalala wrote in a prepared statement responding to the hunger strike.
Attorney Robert B. Donin, general counsel for Dartmouth, said he considers the development of a similar situation here at the College highly improbable.
"The situation at Dartmouth is completely different from the one at Miami. The custodial workers at Dartmouth are already represented by a union that is recognized and has a collective bargaining agreement with the College. The contract runs through June of 2008 and has a no-strike clause," Donin said.
