Have you noticed something magical about Swarthmore? Chalked blackboards are miraculously erased when you enter your class the next day. Compost bins filled with leftover food are bewitchingly emptied every morning. Unwiped toilet seats are spellbindingly polished for the pleasure of your next bowel movement. The magicians behind this witchcraft and wizardry are our very own Environmental Services (EVS) Staff. Unlike Mrs. Weasley, who can simply flick her wand, however, our EVS staff does have to labor around with their arms and legs to get the magic done. The latter entails having to wake up before sunrise, clocking into work while all the students are asleep, performing their tasks unnoticed, and in many cases, having to rush to their second and third jobs because their sorcery at Swarthmore does not make them a living. In fact, the wicked conduct lies not in the care work done by the EVS but in the erasure of the humans behind the scenes as if things are just magically done.
Enchanting indeed. Yet, another extraordinary hocus pocus happened a month ago. The college terminated at least three EVS staff members without an adequate explanation, let alone ways to appeal. Genevieve Nilan, one of those staff members, wrote in a statement published in a Change.org petition:
“My supervisor reached out and requested for me and my husband (George) not to come to work. We had a meeting the next day. One of our managers and an HR representative informed us why we were there. George picked a small vacuum out of the donation bin, intending to use it to help him clean places around campus that were difficult to reach with the supplies the college had provided. We were informed that the item wasn’t a donation. Apparently, the vacuum was a recently delivered package that had mistakenly been put into the donation bin.”
George Grable was fired for using a misplaced vacuum cleaner, and his wife Genevieve Nilan was fired for watching him do so. If you’ve passed by the fourth floor of Singer Hall at any point, you couldn’t have missed George’s warm memo on a blue sticky note he puts up in front of his storage. Either a word of encouragement, “Have a nice day,” or a drawing of a silly face, George’s cheerful remarks, in addition to his janitorial duties, are the very basis on which the rest of us Swatties build our days. Sadly, a night shift worker who clocks in at midnight and clocks out at dawn, George is, to the college, an easier target to obliviate from our memories. This fact only makes George more vulnerable to termination for any non-reasons.
Based on the statement in the petition, in Tenia Barrett’s case, she was notified not to come to work without any reason. Why is it that we hear the voices of George, Genevieve, and Tenia only after they’re expelled from our community? Surely, Swarthmore College’s magic spell is on the move.
Magic is fought by magic. And there is magic in numbers. Show up to the rally on Monday, Dec. 9, by 12:15 p.m. We will be remembering what happened to George, Genevieve, and Tenia at the Parrish Porch. With chants instead of bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, the Swarthmore Palestine Coalition (SPC) will be demanding the administration to (1) reinstate George, Genevieve, Tenia, and the other fired EVS techs; (2) require just cause for employee termination; (3) commit to ensuring EVS techs receive adequate tools and supplies; (4) ensure a minimum amount of EVS techs are employed to prevent overwork; and (5) pay EVS a living wage. We see parallels between the genocide of Palestinians and the economic death of the EVS staff. We see how the college’s divestment can help both the Palestinians and the EVS staff. We see how the reinvestment of that 3 billion dollar endowment into the real needs of the students, staff, and faculty can put smiles on the faces of more people. These are the kinds of magic that we wish to summon. It is true that more needs to be done: one-time reinstatement of the fired workers won’t prevent future termination of other workers, just cause employment must be practiced in good faith, commitment to adequate tools and overwork prevention has to be monitored by workers’ standards, and a living wage will have to be renegotiated according to inflation. Changes require institutionalization to be reproduced as the new normal. Nevertheless, these miracles start from your small actions of care. Pull up to the rally and show your support not only for the EVS staff and Palestinians but also to the people who care about the same things you care about. Together, caring hearts will re-enchant the world.
Other ways you can help George, Genevieve, and Tenia:
Sign our petition. Only students, faculty, staff, and alumni should sign. A large amount of signatures is crucial for letting the school know that it cannot mistreat its workers without resistance from the Swarthmore community.
Donate money for the EVS mutual aid fund that will then be distributed to EVS techs who need help. We have previously helped various EVS techs cover basic needs that the school has failed to meet. Please donate to the Venmo below and share the link around.
@evsmafswat
Join Solidarity-at-Swat (S@S). S@S is a labor organizing group on campus dedicated to building class consciousness among the students, staff, and faculty workers. Learn more on our Instagram.
