On most days, you’ll find Kevin Mojave in McEwen’s lobby chatting with students, telling jokes and calling out peoples’ names as they walk by. But beyond just being a friendly face at McEwen, Mojave is also the College’s facilities worker union representative—a role which has recently thrust him into collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the College.
October marks the sixth and final month of contract negotiations between Hamilton College and the Service Employers International Union (SEIU), to which around 85% of eligible Hamilton facilities workers claim membership. Hamilton’s SEIU contract with the College expired on July 13, 2025, and, according to a leaflet handed out around campus, workers have been “in a protracted negotiations fight […] to preserve and protect what many of us have fought for to ensure a quality of life for themselves and their families.”
As of Oct. 28, 2025, the Union and the College have reached a tentative agreement, ending bargaining negotiations until 2028. Union representatives were clear that the protracted negotiations were not due to economic or financial disagreement, but rather reflected a desire for an industry-standard contract. Mojave said that the finalized agreement was stalled due to disagreement on three central issues: a “closed shop” arrangement, a longevity plan and memorialized cost sharing, which he says are standard at other institutions similar to Hamilton.
A closed shop arrangement would automatically encroll all incoming eligible workers in SEIU, ensuring union bargaining power in future negotiations. The union is also requesting a longevity plan which allows longtime employees to earn vacation days for years of service, and to memorialize cost sharing of health insurance premiums, securing transparency regarding the division of healthcare costs between the college and the employee.
The union formed in Chicago in 1921, which today protects workers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. SEIU Local 200United reaches across New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania, and represents service and facility workers at Hamilton.
After four months of working without a contract, the College presented what was believed to be its last, best and final offer at a negotiation on Oct. 2. The offer was presented to members on Oct. 15, who unanimously voted to reject the administration’s offer according to a second informational flyer posted around campus. Meetings between union representatives and managers of Hamilton facility departments were scheduled since the expiration of the contract in July.
Flyers placed around McEwen and KJ alerted students to the ongoing negotiations between Hamilton’s SEIU and the administration. They read, “Your facilities workers collective bargaining agreement expired July 13th 2025 and have been working without a contract, they have been in a protracted negotiations fight with the college administration since. We have been fighting to preserve and protect what many of us have fought for to ensure a quality of life for themselves and their families. Send a message to the college administration that they deserve a fair contract and have the right to protect and preserve what has been negotiated in years past and current.”
Students were also involved in spreading the word about the negotiations and support for the facilities union. Mac Donovan ‘26 was outspoken about the cause: “[facilities work is] such an underappreciated and undervalued type of work […] if our facilities workers call in sick, there’s trash everywhere, windows are broken, bathrooms aren’t clean, lights don’t turn on, heating in the winter won’t get fixed.”
Donovan organised an email-writing campaign to College administrators, encouraging them to consider the union’s demands. Donovan felt it was important to write because “if for a single day every facilities worker didn’t come in, this place would absolutely stop turning.” Their involvement in the cause only felt natural; Donovan’s mother is the Vice President of the Falls Church Education Association in Virginia, a local branch in Virginia of the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the U.S.
On Oct. 28, a breakthrough in negotiations led to an agreement between the two parties, much to the relief of the nearly 120 service workers employed at Hamilton College. The final contract, a mix of primary and peripheral benefits, satisfied the SEIU negotiations team, including Mojave. The agreement will now come to a vote, which Mojave is confident will pass, only eight days after the unanimous rejection of the previous offer—a huge accomplishment for both the Union and the College.
Following the agreement, Senior Director of Media Relations Vige Barrie told The Spectator, “As a result of today’s bargaining session, we would like to withdraw our Letter to the Editor and advise you that the parties have reached a tentative agreement for a new 3 year labor contract which the union’s bargaining committee will be recommending for ratification. We greatly appreciate the dedication and creativity that our Facilities team contributes to Hamilton’s mission. Their work not only beautifies our campus but also strengthens relationships with students and the broader community.”
Without the fliers, students likely would be unaware of negotiations—facilities workers would continue business as usual, even with an expired contract. Union representative Doug McClure was sure to emphasize that there was no intention or attempt by facilities to disrupt everyday life at Hamilton. Mojave, in an interview after bargaining had ended, stated that he believed “student involvement was crucial,” and that he was “overwhelmed by the level of support” the cause received from the student body.
