Students Weigh in on Security Guard Threat To Strike

With the likelihood of a strike by Harvard security guards increasing, the student body is voicing mixed reactions: while some students say the strike would leave them feeling vulnerable, others say that it would not affect their daily life.

The threat of a strike comes after Securitas, the private contractor which employs security guards for the University, introduced a new health care proposal going into the last week of contract negotiations. Security guards were outraged at the new proposal and began circulating a petition expressing willingness to strike over the new health care provisions. Over 80 percent of security guards have signed the petition, which was formally presented to the bargaining committee on Monday.

The disagreement between the security guards’ union and their employer centers on a health care plan that the union says is more expensive for employees while providing fewer benefits.

Now, as contract negotiations enter their final phase, several students said they would feel more vulnerable without the reassuring presence of the security guards.

“I think that not having security staff on campus is a real concern,” said Karen A. Narefsky ’11, a member of the Student Labor Action Movement. “It would probably create lots of anxiety among members of the Harvard community, including the other workers.”

But despite the potential anxiety, Narefsky said she supports the guards in whatever course of action they choose.

“I hope for the sake of the guards that it gets resolved by the end of the week,” Narefsky said. “But I fully support them in the event of a strike, and SLAM supports them as well and asks the rest of the student community to support them as well.”

Other students said they would not feel greatly affected by the potential lack of security guards.

“I think that a lot of people would notice—probably most in the houses,” said Amanda B. Wyatt ’12. “But I’m not sure if I would feel less safe.”

A security guard who wished to remain anonymous to maintain his relationship with his employer said that many of the guards feel bad about leaving the students alone but are not willing to settle for what they see as an unfair contract.

“We love the students, we want what’s best for them,” the guard said. “But we have to make a hard strike, otherwise they’ll just try and walk all over us.”

For the security guards, submitting the petition to the committee represented a major stand but is by no means a guarantee that a strike will occur. Leaders in SEIU Local 615, the union which represents security guards on campus, are currently in negotiations with Securitas to try to work out a contract compromise.

“There is always a chance that we will get it done before the end of the week,” said Wayne M. Langley, director of higher education for Local 615. “There is always a chance we might come to an agreement.”

—Staff writer Mercer R. Cook can be reached at mcook@college.harvard.edu