ST. LOUIS — Service Employees International Union Local 1 custodians, groundskeepers and distribution workers at Saint Louis University ratified a new contract covering nearly 150 essential workers at the university.
The agreement includes guaranteed PPE, additional paid sick days and the “highest-ever” pay raises for Local 1 members at SLU, according to a press release from the union.
“We put our health on the line every day as we work hard to keep SLU’s campus clean, safe, and healthy during this unprecedented pandemic,” said SEIU Local 1 SLU groundskeeper Dave Eaton in the release. “Because we fought for our families and our community, we won a safer future, and will continue to fight to protect our jobs at the university.”
The ratification is the latest chapter in the fight for “one St. Louis,” where all working people make at least $15 an hour with good union jobs, the release said.
“Local 1 custodians, groundskeepers, and distribution workers came together and showed they are pivotal in keeping students and faculty safe and healthy,” said SEIU Local 1 SLU adjunct faculty Micheal Smith. “Our campus community will continue to fight to ensure SLU will not use this crisis as an opportunity to outsource their jobs to outside contractors.”
The new 3-year contract guarantees the following:
- A path to a minimum wage of $15 an hour by 2022, ahead of the University’s 2024 $15 plan
- Additional paid sick days
- Guaranteed PPE and stronger COVID-19 protection language as workers continue working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic
