Photo by Emma Quirk ‘26. Mount Holyoke College housekeepers clean residence halls, such as Mandelle Hall, pictured above.
By Brie Foster ’27
Staff Writer
A student-created petition advocating for a raise in wages for housekeepers at Mount Holyoke College has recently circulated around the community.
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, Wilder Hall Residential Fellow Isha Chinniah ’24 posted a petition titled “Support MHC Housekeepers' Wage Proposal” to Change.org. The petition rapidly circulated on campus via student Instagram stories and social media pages, gaining the attention of hundreds in the community in just a few days. As of Oct. 20, the petition had over 500 of its desired 1000 signatures.
“Our goal through this petition is to continue to involve the student body in advocating for higher wages and the well-being of the housekeeping staff on campus,” Chinniah said.
The petition addresses what it describes as the unlivable wages Mount Holyoke housekeepers receive from the College.
“As students of this college, we are the strongest driving force behind the change at this institution,” Chinniah wrote to Mount Holyoke News. “This is an opportunity for us to come together, recognize the dedication of our housekeepers, and support them with their request for fair compensation.”
Chinniah’s eyes were opened to the issue when she and some friends saw Wilder Hall Housekeeper Bonnie Bozetka wearing a badge for the UAW Local 2322 union and decided to ask about it.
“She told us about the Housekeeping Union's request for higher wages that wasn’t making a lot of progress.” Chinniah said, “It was genuinely heartbreaking to hear about the multiple jobs she had to work just to provide for her family.”
To make a difference in the lives, families and paychecks of the housekeeping staff, Chinniah emphasized that it is up to the student body to advocate for change.
“If we are expected to view this college as an exceptional institution, it is high time we prioritize the well-being of its employees who are an integral part of our campus community.” Chinniah explained.
According to an email sent to Mount Holyoke News from a UAW Local 2023 email account, the union’s 2023 wage proposal is 45 cents more than Mount Holyoke’s previous offer. The school’s housekeepers are currently paid $16.72 at the entry level, $17.77 at the mid level and $19.23 at the working level, the email stated. The minimum wage in Massachusetts in 2023 is 15 dollars per hour.
The Housekeeping Union’s fight for fair pay is many years in the making. The union was formed in 2000, but as Union Steward and Creighton Hall Housekeeper Rhonda Saletnik told the Mount Holyoke News, “[housekeepers’] wages are not enough to keep up with the economy. And as [Massachusetts] minimum wage increases, we are not that far ahead.”
This is not the first time in recent years that a student has created a petition to support facilities management workers on campus. In May 2022, Serynn Nowlin ’25 posted a petition on Change.org titled “Raise the pay for Mount Holyoke’s Dining and Faculties Workers!” This petition addressed similar issues to Chinniah’s concerning the wages of the Mount Holyoke housekeeping and dining staff.
From understaffing issues to an hourly pay not much higher than minimum wage, the housekeepers are “exhausted and worn down,” South Mandelle Hall Housekeeper Marilyn Tremble said.
“There is a lot of responsibility being a housekeeper,” she said.“It is not just about cleaning; we are also responsible for reporting any hazardous situation, any damages, anything that’s been broken or malfunctioning, as well as assist[ing] students with non-res life issues if needed.”
The removal of individual dining areas in residence halls has resulted in those spaces being converted to new purposes, such as Golden Pear kitchens and common rooms. This has resulted in an increased area for housekeeping staff to attend to that is not accounted for in wages. As Saletnik puts it, there is “more work and less pay.”
Due to Mount Holyoke’s failure to consider these factors, Bozetka believes that housekeepers live on an unlivable wage, forcing many of them to pick up second jobs to make ends meet.
“[It] is impossible to survive on the paychecks we are taking home,” Bozetka said. “It is important for the whole community to understand that housekeepers take pride in caring for the wellbeing of students on a daily basis by making their home away from home nice, clean and safe.”
“Another reason to have the petition, and what we are looking to achieve is to show the president and the trustees and management that our request for higher wages is not unreasonable,” Tremble said. “If the College believes that our work is so valuable and important, the best way to show that is through the wages.”