Tufts students protested the impending custodial worker layoffs scheduled for next year at Friday’s unveiling of the new “Jumbo” statue recently donated to the campus. — Photos by Brianna Moody

By Anna Gaebler, Tufts Labor Coalition

On April 17, 2015, the Tufts administration held a communitywide event in celebration of the debut a brand new statue depicting Tufts’ mascot, Jumbo the elephant. Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC), a student group on campus, chose to disrupt this event in protest of the administration’s decision to fire 35 custodial workers later this month, nearly one in five on the campus.

The students demanded that cuts be postponed until at least after the renegotiation of the janitors’ contract with their union, scheduled for early 2016.

Throughout the year, janitors, students, faculty, and community members have voiced their opposition to the decision, but the administration nonetheless plans to follow through on these cuts. In an effort to implore the university to hear its constituents, students interrupted this event and refused to celebrate alongside the Tufts administration.

Wearing all black and standing in front of the statue with banners in support of the janitors, TLC made its position clear: “TLC believes that this event clearly shows where the administration’s priorities lie, and they are not with the livelihoods of workers on this campus. The university has claimed that budget deficits are the reason for these cuts, yet TLC points out that the university chose to accept a one million dollar donation in the form of a statue, even when a Jumbo statue already existed on campus. Additionally, the administration expended many resources to put on this event, while it has continuously failed to expend a semblance of effort to celebrate the custodial staff on campus. TLC is of the belief that if the university wanted to responsibly address its budget deficit, it would put efforts into fundraising to keep the school running and healthy with the essential services of the custodial staff, not accepting donations that do not address the budget deficit and using resources on a lavish ceremony. The students of TLC believe that today’s celebration is just one example of the many ways in which the Tufts administration prioritizes image and profit over the lives of janitors. The students of TLC vow to continue to pressure the administration until it chooses to open its ears to the people it purports to serve.”

Until the date of planned cuts, the students of TLC said they plan to continue to exert pressure on the administration with further actions and campaigns.