Bowdoin Housekeepers Demand Workplace Safety

Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose; Treasurer Matt Orlando; Interim Director of Facilities Operations & Maintenance Jeff Tuttle

Housekeepers at Bowdoin College are working in unsafe and understaffed conditions.

They recently delivered a letter to the President, Treasurer, and Director of Facilities demanding sufficient staffing, equipment, and support so they can do their jobs.

Faced with severe under staffing, they are being asked to do more work than is possible and safe, and they are doing so with inadequate equipment, which is resulting in workplace injuries.  

Please sign this petition to add your name to the list of community members who support the Housekeepers and call on Bowdoin College to do what's right and address their concerns.

The full text of their letter:

We, the hard-working and dedicated housekeeping staff of Bowdoin College, call upon you to make improvements so that as housekeepers we can do our very best. We take pride in our work and want the very best living, working and learning environment for Bowdoin students, faculty and staff. We also need the right resources, staffing and support so we can do our jobs better.

● We need more staff and a smaller area to clean per housekeeper so that we can give our
work the attention and care it deserves. The recent announcement of wage increases does
not go far enough to address the problems we’re experiencing recruiting and retaining
staff.
● We need the right equipment, enough of it, and for that equipment to be well maintained.
● We need manageable assignments so that we are not rushing and getting injured.
Through our years of service, we have shown our commitment to Bowdoin and work hard each
day. We have raised these concerns and feel they have gone unheard. Now is the time for the
College to show its commitment to us by supporting us and the work we do each day.

Concerned Bowdoin Housekeepers


Sponsored by
Maine-aflcio-logo
Maine AFL-CIO
Augusta, ME

To: Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose; Treasurer Matt Orlando; Interim Director of Facilities Operations & Maintenance Jeff Tuttle
From: [Your Name]

We, the undersigned members of the Community, re-iterate the demands of the Bowdoin Housekeepers and call on you to take immediate action to address their important safety and staffing concerns.

These housekeepers take pride in their work, and they work hard to provide a safe, healthy, and productive environment for the students to learn and thrive.

They demand:

● More staff and a smaller area to clean per housekeeper so that they can give their work the attention and care it deserves. The recent announcement of wage increases does not go far enough to address the problems of recruiting and retaining staff.
● The right equipment, enough of it, and for that equipment to be well maintained.
● Manageable assignments so that they are not rushing and getting injured.

We will be following the situation closely and call on you to take action now to remedy these problems and ensure a safe workplace for your Housekeepers.