Custodians’ plight

We think facilities management should have a bigger budget than what it has had over the last five years.

Jerry has been a janitor at the University of Maine for 23 years. He has seen changes, but more in the last three years.

We have seen the janitorial department get cut so badly that the morale is so low that it’s going to take a miracle to solve this problem.

We, along with many others, have seen our buildings that we maintain gradually decline.

The last cut we had affected more janitors, not counting the 30 on the chopping block now. From 1972-1982, for instance, a certain building had 3 1/2 janitors. In 1984 it was cut to two janitors and three months ago these two janitors were (working in) the same building and another building — now we are looking at more areas to come with these 30 cuts.

We are human, we can only do so much.

Somebody please help us. We used to take pride in the work we did, but how can you take pride if your work doesn’t get done properly the way you want it? Students deserve better than what they will be getting. This is their home for nine months each year. Jerry and Kathy Ouellette University custodians Orono