I think we are all anxious for spring to get here. Driving wind, rain, sleet and snow? Thanks, but you have now overstayed your welcome.

Probably nobody on campus is more ready for winter to be over than the dedicated workers of the Service Employees International Union. These are the workers that shovel the snow off the sidewalks and chip away the ice on the steps leading up to our campus buildings. When we are all safe and warm at home at night, these workers are outside getting our campus ready for the next morning.

The workers of SEIU are also probably ready for winter to be over because they have been negotiating for a new contract all through these long winter months. Many of these workers are among the lowest paid employees at our university. During their contract negotiations, they have offered the University administration proposals for reasonable wage increases and fair working conditions. So far they have mostly received the cold shoulder in response.

Because of this, SEIU members have voted to potentially go on strike. In fact, a strike could happen as early as Monday, March 11 if an agreement is not reached. 

It is time for this administration to quit stalling and settle the SEIU contract. 

It is time for this administration to stop leaving its most vulnerable workers out in the cold and to provide a living wage for these essential members of our campus.

It is time for this University to start living up to its motto “Learning and Labor.”

It is time for this winter to end.

Stephanie Seawell,

graduate student in history