By Taylor Sisk, Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL – A group of UNC housekeepers was joined by students and others last Wednesday as they marched from the post office on Franklin Street to South Building and presented Chancellor Holden Thorp’s office with a list of workplace grievances.
Among the issues raised is a rest policy that requires housekeeping staff to request permission from a supervisor before taking a break beyond the allotted one-hour lunch break and two 15-minute breaks. Violations of that policy led to the suspensions of seven housekeepers and the dismissal of a temporary worker, though the suspensions were later rescinded when university administrators determined that the workers hadn’t been made sufficiently aware of the policy.
The grievance also asked that “severe disciplinary action†be taken against assistant housekeeping director Tonya Sell for her “threatening and violent language.â€
According to a Sept. 1 Daily Tar Heel article, Sell said “she has attempted to slap sense into a housekeeping force that she said was lacking in professionalism and consistency.â€
The grievance further asked that severe disciplinary action be taken against those supervisors and administrators who have “condoned such threatening and violent language, and who are responsible for creating the hostile work environment to which housekeepers and other affected facilities staff are being subjected.â€
Thorp subsequently asked Richard Mann, vice chancellor for finance and administration, and Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services, to look into the concerns in the grievance and report back to him.
On Sept. 9, Mann, Malone and other senior managers met with representatives of the university’s Employee Forum to discuss the issues. The next day, Thorp asked Facilities Services executive director Van Dobson and the Facilities Services management team to work with the Office of Human Resources to ensure that all university policies are applied consistently and fairly.
In an email to the workers who had submitted the grievance, Thorp wrote: “The University must always remain an environment where differing points of view can be constructively aired and addressed. I expect everyone at Carolina, no matter what position they hold, to treat each other with the dignity they deserve.â€