UW custodians, students, rally against cost-cutting shift switch

The battle over custodians' shifts is the latest in an ongoing struggle between University of Washington officials trying to slash $73 million from next year's budget and students and staff trying to preserve jobs and resources.

As of July 1, more than two dozen night-shift custodians could be switched over to day shifts. That could force some to have to choose between their UW jobs and other jobs they might have during daytime hours. Others would have to find alternative daytime caretakers for children and elderly parents.

An additional 17 custodians are being laid off.

Custodians and students rallied against the shift switch this morning, demanding that officials adopt an alternative budget that does not disproportionately affect low-income students and staff.

More than 100 custodians, students and community members marched from Red Square to the UW tower, where the Board of Regents was meeting.

Cars driving past honked in support and the crowd chanted, "The students, the workers will never be defeated."

"It's like a slap in the face," said Salvador Castillo, executive vice president of Washington Federation of State Employees 1144, the union representing the custodians. Castillo has worked for 15 years as a custodian, most recently in the Physics and Astronomy building.

"We're fighting for our rights," Castillo said. "This could destroy a lot of families."

University officials, while not unsympathetic to custodians' claims, see the change as a viable solution to the 16.5 percent cut the department must absorb.

"We were smacked right in the face with the most dire budget situation in state history ever," said Charles Kennedy, assistant vice president of facilities services. If all the custodians currently on night shifts are permitted to keep those shifts, the department will have to apply for additional funding, he said.

"When you're staring at the hard numbers, you have to make hard decisions," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said university officials and custodians are still in negotiation stages and feel confident that a solution can be found that provides for "people who have true hardships."

Kennedy spent a few minutes answering questions posed by the crowed gathered in the lobby of the UW Tower.

"My desire was to prevent [additional] layoffs," he told protesters through a bullhorn.

Day-shift custodians are paid 65 cents-per-hour less than those on the night shift and work fewer hours, so managers estimate shifting a majority of custodians to the day shift could save about $180,000 per year.

The custodians' union has offered to eliminate the pay differential between shifts and give night workers one unpaid day off per month to preserve those shifts. However, custodial management refused this option, possibly because an increase in day-shift workers could also mean a savings in administrative cost, said Marla Bradeen, an analyst with finance and business services.

"We're not demanding anything extra," said Veryl Pow, a UW student and member of the Anti-Budget Cuts Coalition.

"We're just demanding that night custodians can keep what they have right now."

Lindsay Toler: 206-464-2463 or ltoler@seattletimes.com