[Correction (May 11, 2026): A previous version of this article did not include quotes from SEIU Union Representative and Organizer Sean Collins received after publication.]
[Disclaimer: For privacy purposes, all current and former union employees quoted in this article will be referred to anonymously.]
In Fall 2025, Service Employees International Union Local 200United (SEIU) reached a contract agreement with Vassar College. The contract came amidst employee concerns over inadequate wages and reported mistreatment from Vassar’s administration. In interviews with The Miscellany News, a range of current and past kitchen and custodial employees expressed issues with recent firings, uneven pay raises among workers and an overall lack of togetherness felt in the union.
One employee estimated that fifteen union workers have been fired since the contract passed in the Fall 2025 semester. “Some were part-timers, some were in the kitchen, some were in buildings and grounds,” they said. They continued, “We’ve been here all these years and we’ve never had people getting fired like this.”
An employee who was fired in December 2025 alleged that the College had not gone through any of the required procedures leading up to their termination. According to Article 13, Section 2 of the contract, “Discipline shall be progressive in nature, with four (4) disciplinary steps as follows: 1. Verbal warning; 2. Written warning; 3. Final Written Warning (which may include suspension); 4. Termination.” The employee told the Miscellany, “They didn’t give me a verbal. They didn’t give me a write-up. They didn’t suspend me. They just terminated me… And the union didn’t do anything to fight it.”
Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Officer Ginger Jurecka Blake responded to this claim. She wrote via email, “The college consistently applies the terms of applicable contracts to all employment decisions, and the union may engage in the grievance process for actions they feel warrant consideration.” Blake also cited an additional part of Article 13, Section 2: “The College retains the right to impose a higher level of disciplinary action, up to and including termination, if the circumstances are determined to be sufficiently severe.” She explained, “This may happen, for example, when/if their behaviors impacted the safety of other members of our community [and] crime concerns.”
When asked what the union does to ensure its employees are not wrongfully terminated, SEIU President John Santiago wrote by email, “SEIU leadership and the team of stewards spend a significant amount of time on every case as it transcends through the multiple steps of the grievance process. Many of our stewards have years of experience as stewards and have been through training seminars.”
As for wages, the contract established a blanket three percent raise for all employees. Santiago explained, “Wages are fair and even for all employees. Every full time member in every job classification received a 3% raise retroactive to July 1, 2025. Every member also receives the exact same pension increase and medical insurance. These are the core fundamentals of our contract.”
Article 19, Section 2 of the contract also established an increase of wages for certain employees, based on seniority and job classification. For example, union employees who complete a certain number of years of service will be moved to a “Level II” job classification, where they will be eligible for a higher wage. The contract also awards higher wages to specific positions. Article 19 highlights Grounds Maintenance Attendant, Central Receiving Warehouse Clerk, Turf Management Leader, Irrigation Grounds Leader, Chef’s Helper, Gardener Leader and the most senior boiler or operator mechanic as job which would receive higher wages.
After publication, SEIU Union Representative and Organizer Sean Collins wrote in an email to the Miscellany, “These are not new ‘classifications’ but preexisting wage tiers based on an employee’s longevity. Previously, there was a pre-Level I ‘start rate’ where new hires were paid a lower hourly rate during their first year of employment. Our current agreement eliminated this rate and now new hires start at Level I. They rise to Level II after four years of employment, which has been the case for at least two decades if not longer.”
Santiago also explained these wage raises in his email. “There were several job classifications that had adjustments made to them because these members took on additional duties. Ex: the grounds department job classifications were changed significantly increasing the scope of the work they do,” he wrote. He added that the new wage system was created to hire fewer outside contractors, which has been a goal of the union for four years.
Many employees commented that they felt the new wage system was unfair. One said, “They choose a few people [to give higher raises]. That’s not right. We are one union; we work in the same place. So, you are supposed to be treated the same.” A second employee commented, “I think [it is] unfair. Because with everything going on we all need that little extra stepping stone to survive. It’s like, you have to lose something to gain something.” Another commented on their coworkers who got higher raises, “You pay union dues just like I pay union dues. How are you better than me that you got something the rest of us didn’t get, that we all feel like we’re owed because we’re all in the same boat supposedly?”
Employees described a growing rift in the union due to the uneven wage increases. One employee said, “It doesn’t seem like everybody is together when it comes to the union.” Another employee commented, “Now everybody’s just for themselves. As long as it’s not affecting them, as long as they [are] getting their pay, their overtime, they got their summer job and they don’t care about nobody else. That’s not what a union is supposed to be about.” A third commented on the energy between workers right now: “It’s all this, just nasty, just heavy energy, and it shouldn’t be there.”
SEIU workers also highlighted a lack of communication between the union leadership and the employees. Multiple felt that the union did not adequately communicate with them before establishing the changes to the wage system. One employee said of the changes, “That was something they should have talked [about] with the people first. You don’t go to the table and let the College know what’s best for us without the union. [They are] supposed to sit down and have a conversation with the people first.” Another commented, “What they do with the pay, people don’t have a clue, we just find out later.”
Collins explained, “The three year contract we won last October after months of negotiations with Vassar College management was ratified overwhelmingly, with nearly 70% membership participation and 87% voting in favor of ratification. We will continue to ensure the terms of that agreement are implemented and properly administered by management.” He added after publication, “The only update that was not communicated to our membership at the time was the $1/hr increase extended to Chef’s Helpers because it was offered by the College after the conclusion of negotiations and the Union accepted the offer.”
According to employees, SEIU has not held a union-wide meeting since January 2026. One employee alleged that it was not until that meeting that employees were informed of the new wage system, which led to disagreement between the workers and union leadership.
Multiple employees present at the meeting explained that one of the union heads became frustrated with the workers before leaving the meeting prematurely. One employee explained, “We haven’t had a union meeting since [a union leader] got mad in ACDC and slammed his hand down on the podium and threw the microphone down on the floor.” Another alleged that in the meeting, this union leader told SEIU members to “shut up.”
In response to a question about the frequency of union-wide meetings, Collins wrote, “Our union is a democratic organization with procedures in place for decades to determine our collective priorities and navigate internal disagreements.” He added in his email after publication, “We absolutely could stand to hold more union meetings and acknowledge we’re overdue. Our union is a democratic organization and disagreement is a part of the process of reaching a democratic consensus. That said, disagreement should be raised in good faith.”
One employee said of the lack of meetings, “They don’t come down here [to Vassar] either. When we got issues going on, they should come down and fix it. Our union should be built on [a] solid foundation. We should be a lot more stronger than where we’re at right now.” They added, “The union seems to me like they’re more with the College. It’s not for the people no more; it’s more with the College now.”