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The Syracuse Employees International Union Local 200United held a rally at 727 Comstock Ave. Monday afternoon after rejecting a new proposed contract from Syracuse University.

SU’s offer was a roughly 2.5% percent raise of workers’ wages, SEIU attendees said. Union members said they would need at least a 10% raise in order to make a livable salary.

The rally gathered on the lawn in front of the house, wearing purple in solidarity with the union, including t-shirts that read “There’s Honor in Quality Work and Dignity in Fair Wages” on the front and “200United SEIU Stronger Together” on the back. There were ten speakers at the rally, along with around 200 attendees holding signs with statements including “3% is a joke” and “cheaper healthcare no more retaliation.”

Adema King, a food service worker at SU and secretary for SEIU 200United, said she sat through 17 “grueling” sessions of negotiations with administrators, who she called “out of touch with reality.” She said the administration is making much more than its workers and that their wages are not sustainable.

“When SU wants something, SU has all the funds in the world, but when it comes to us … poverty,” King said.

An SU spokesperson confirmed that SEIU recently voted against the proposed new employee contract following months of discussions.

“The proposed agreement, reached jointly by Union leadership and the University, was a strong and competitive contract that provided significant financial benefits and meaningful improvements for Union members,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. “Although we are disappointed in the outcome, we will continue to engage in good faith with Local 200United.”

SEIU began engaging in union efforts at SU in summer 2023, aiming to improve working conditions for SU employees through negotiations with university facilities. The group voted to officially form a union this summer.

One of the signs at the rally stated “$1.9 billion endowment … but no livable wage?” alluding to the university’s endowment of $1.85 billion, as of June 2023. SU’s endowment is made up of approximately 2,500 individual endowments and is managed by the Investment and Endowment Committee.

Union members criticized the university for allocating significant funding to infrastructure modernization efforts, such as updating the JMA Wireless Dome and building new dorms, while paying workers what they say are unlivable wages.

The union chose to hold the rally outside of 727 Comstock Ave., a former SU fraternity house that the university purchased in 2022 for $3.14 million.

Vince Kang | Contributing Photographer

An SEIU member speaks to workers employed by Syracuse University united under the union’s concerns surrounding wages and workspace conditions. Workers called for change as the speaker spoke about discrepancies in SU spending priorities.

In a Monday press release sent to The D.O., SEIU denounced SU’s efforts to invest in a proposed 703-bedroom, four-to-six story student residence hall on the lot of 727 Comstock Ave. and the adjacent 700 block of Ostrom Avenue. The over-one-hundred-year-old vacant mansion has sparked debate between the local community, city officials and the university.

“The rally will be in front of 727 Comstock Ave, a building the University could easily afford to buy for $3m and leave vacant while attempting to get (the city) to spend millions more on it — showing how easily millions can be spent when the administration wants to invest in something,” the release stated.

Gretchen Purser, an associate professor of sociology at SU who attended the rally, highlighted that SEIU members have gone on strike multiple times in the past to achieve action. The process is now repeating itself on a larger scale, she said, as most employees have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet and provide for their families.

“We see this university bending over backwards to turn the campus into a luxury playground for students, all while asking staff and faculty to do more with less,” Purser said.

Dave de Anguera, a library warehouse facility technician at SU, said he has co-workers struggling to make ends meet between groceries, medical needs and rent.

As inflation and consumer prices have risen in recent years, Anguera said wage increases have not kept up. Matt Moon, a carpenter who has worked at SU for 13 years, said he relies on the university to keep up with inflation but still doesn’t get the compensation he believes he and other employees deserve.

He said an important part of this cause is to be able to put money back into the Syracuse community where SEIU members live, but said the administration ignores them.

“While we’re asking for 10% on paper, you’re asking for 133% from us,” Moon said.

Through the duration of the rally, attendees chanted “SU works because we do”, “Should this be happening at SU? No!” and “What do we want? A fair contract! When do we want it? Now!”. Members of SEIU asked that attendees sign petitions to help the cause and also urged students to participate in the movement. Purser said SEIU wants students to ask how to get involved and support their cause.

Doug McClure, a union representative for SEIU’s Syracuse office, said this movement is not only fighting for a fair contract, but also for justice, respect and a dignified workplace.

McClure said the university is due to provide a thriving wage for all and that the process must move forward.

“We are standing up for every worker on this campus and every worker who (will) come after us, as did the workers and union members before us who fought for decades to secure the contract we’re here to build on,” McClure said. “We are setting standards, a standard that says we will not settle for less than we are worth.”

SEIU and SU are set to continue negotiations to reach an agreement.

Published on August 27, 2024 at 7:55 pm

Contact Roxanne: rmboychu@syr.edu