|
CSEA CONNECTION
by Nidal Kobaissi, CSEA president |
|||
|
In 1993,
the college employed about 25 custodians to maintain our then 13 buildings on campus. Today, we have 21 buildings with plans to add another building this year and only about 18 custodians. There are two ways to solve this problem, eliminate some buildings or hire more custodians. The answer is simple: we need to hire more custodians. It is unfair to ask our employees to continue working in such conditions. These conditions can create a sort of domino effect. Custodians who work at a much faster rate under the stress of trying to complete all their assigned tasks can make mistakes that can injure them or others. One injured custodian will increase the already heavy workload on the rest of the staff, which can lead to more injuries. This can create a workers’ compensation nightmare for our already problematic system. This nightmare needs to stop. The Facilities leadership need to take a hard look at this and come up with a solution fast. They need to hire more custodians, reevaluate cleaning methods and provide more training and safety equipment. In addition, we need to find a fair custodian-to-building staffing ratio, and as our campus grows, so should our custodial staff. The custodial staff are very grateful for all of the support and patience that both the faculty and staff have provided. We ask that you continue to support them while we try to find a resolution to this issue. We also ask that all members of the governance process and particularly those members on the Budget Committee give priority to funding more custodial positions. Working together, your union and the rest of the college community are committed to solving this inequity as soon as possible. & |
