University officials hired 22 new housekeepers to help combat an employee shortage that began with budget cuts and layoffs two years ago — a similar move to a mass hiring of 28 in October, which the union representing housekeepers said ended with 17 quitting amid complaints about working conditions just months after being hired.
Budget cuts in 2002 called for layoffs of about 200 staff members, a portion of whom were housekeepers, leaving housekeepers to clean more square footage than in the past. They have complained about poor conditions and being overworked several times since then through the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents them.
Including the 22 new hires, there will be 192 housekeepers on the janitorial staff. In 1995, there were 300.
University officials said the hirings should help alleviate the shortage and also deny that 17 new workers quit, saying instead only six left their posts since October.
Human Resources Manager Charles Bagley, who was in charge of hiring the new workers for Facilities Management, said that out of a list of 72 applicants, 22 new employees were hired and are slated to start work April 15.
Of the 22 new employees, 10 workers will help clean and maintain the new Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, while the remaining 12 will be distributed to areas of the campus that need extra help, said Sandra Dykes, the assistant director of housekeeping.
Bagley said AFSCME’s accusations are ludicrous and that there was no coincidence that they hired almost the same number of workers last week as the number AFSCME said had left earlier this year.
Dykes said they originally intended to hire 18 workers, but hired four more because she believes a few will quit.
“I have no idea where they got these numbers; we hired workers to fill our vacancies,” he said. Bagley added that, of the 29 workers hired in October, only six were either fired or resigned — a number not close to 17.
Craig Newman, secretary of the campus chapter of the union of AFSCME, said many of the new hires in October came to the organization after they had left their posts.
He said the union was happy to hear they hired more workers and believes they have the power to hire more.
“It just goes to show: Janitors aren’t the department’s top priority; asking someone to clean 10,000 feet an hour is ludicrous,” he said.
Mary Davis, a housekeeper who cleans H.J. Patterson Hall, said her manager promised she would have one other worker to help her clean the four-story building, which she currently maintains daily by herself.
“They said they were going to give me help and still expect me to clean 100,000 square feet an hour,” she said.
She added she had no idea when extra help would arrive but hoped it would be soon.
