USC janitorial staff need our support

On March 30, USC custodial workers protested in USC Village, demanding higher livable wages and various insurance and healthcare benefits. A day later, custodial protestors went to Union Hall to, again, bring attention to the unlivable wages that their employer, Aramark, pays them. They marched once more on Thursday bringing the protest from Tommy Trojan to USC Village. 

The tireless care and work that USC’s custodial workers put into maintaining the cleanliness and aesthetic integrity of the University makes campus appear spotless. These janitorial workers risk their employment and livelihoods in choosing to speak up about poor work conditions and strike — USC students must show solidarity with them. 

Numerous custodial workers have worked at USC for more than 20 years. According to a March 31 Daily Trojan article, these employees lost USC-specific benefits and the right to send their children to USC without any charge to tuition because of an employer switch. Since working under Aramark, they have been without sufficient insurance for medication and affordable healthcare benefits. Aramark offered less than a 1% increase to their membership, which David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, deemed unacceptable.  

“We’re telling USC: You either pay up, make sure you pay these workers a just wage, make sure they have the benefits to be able to take care of their families,” said Huerta in an interview with the Daily Trojan. 

Everyone on USC’s campus anticipates a pristine cleanliness of classrooms and bathrooms. But what’s a clean bathroom when it means that janitors are overworked, underpaid, stripped of affordable healthcare benefits and unable to live a “dignified life”? 

We need to recognize the contributions custodial workers make on and off the clock. When they’re not hard at work at USC, they still have to provide for their families. If custodial workers aren’t given substantial wages to take care of their own families, it’s absurd for them to have to prioritize USC students to do so. 

If USC students don’t show that they appreciate custodians and deserve better, we’re sending a message that we’re content that they are underpaid and suffer at the expense of the economic priorities of Aramark and the University. As USC continues to raise tuition while letting their employees struggle, we must let janitors know that their work doesn’t go unseen. We must protest with them and let administration know that this is a collective issue that affects all of the University and South Central community. 

The USC Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation outlined a call-to-action guide for students to support custodians, including calling and emailing USC and Aramark officials to urge them to pay janitors livable wages, benefits and the support needed to care for their families. The least we can do is sign petitions and spread the cause via word of mouth and on social media. 

It’s inarguable that custodial workers at USC deserve more with all that they have done. From cleaning up all the mess we leave in McCarthy Quad to ensuring our campus is put together, the custodians on campus are a core component to the foundation of USC. Now, more than ever, it’s our turn to give back and show solidarity with them.