If you think your job is difficult now, just remember: It can always be worse. So the facility department at the University of Washington has learned after getting dragged into a bitter dispute on campus about surging tuition fees and declining services.In May, the University's Board of Regents approved increasing tuition by 14 percent, the maximum allowed by law, according to the Seattle Times. A few weeks later, the University announced plans to lay off 17 custodians and switch up to 24 night custodians to daycleaning.This is where things get ugly.A group called the Anti-Budget Cuts Coalition picked up the cause, pointing out that many of the swing shift custodians work a day job or care for family members and would be significantly hurt by the move and the loss of the 60 cents an hour shift differential. Soon, a flyer began circulating on campus listing the pay of the department head compared to custodians and complaining about the condition of the campus' buildings. The University put a facility employee on paid leave while it investigated whether she released confidential information to the media.Regardless of whom you side with, it's not hard to see that this situation could have been handled better. Nowhere in any of the coverage does it make mention that moving to daycleaning is green because it can reduce energy use, for example. More broadly though, this was an opportunity for the facility organization to demonstrate how it was protecting the University's assets by focusing on operational costs, which ultimately keeps tuition low. What it turned into was a debate about labor — not a good place for anyone to be.Would such a conversation have changed the students' opinions? Probably not. But it would have put the issue in much better context for the rest of the community.
Your stuck between a rock and a hard place.