Academy Faces Controversy, Labor Protests during Building Renovations

On July 6, members of the Massachusetts Building Wreckers Union publicly gathered outside the renovation of Wheelwright Hall to protest the construction subcontractors hired by the Academy.

The Union’s president expressed to Chief of Planning and Facilities Roger Wakeman that the protesters’ main objective was to ensure that the subcontractors paid fair wages to the legal immigrant workers hired to complete the dorm’s renovations.

The protesters picketed with signs and distributed fliers that listed EnviroVantage and SMS Service Inc., the two Academy-hired subcontractors, as having Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations. These fliers accused the Academy of using its tuition money to pay “companies that exploit immigrant workers.”

The demonstration lasted only one day, after which EnviroVantage agreed to meet with the Union leadership. The Union later reported to Wakeman that the meeting was “amicable.” Academy representatives were not present in the discussion because, according to Wakeman, the Academy had no direct contractual relationship to EnviroVantage.

Though the Union was originally scheduled to span multiple days, protesters did not return on July 7.

The superintendent of Culture Associates, the company that carried out Wheelwright’s Renovations, Tom Frasier, was present when the protest began. He explained that the Union leaders had been in contact with the owner of EnviroVantage about organizing a union for the company to aid immigrant workers. According to Frasier, the owner abruptly stopped responding to the union leaders, which sparked the idea for a live protest.

However, the Union leaders were unaware that the owner ceased communication because a sudden death of a family member. After the Union became aware of this, it cancelled its further protest plans.

Despite the controversy surrounding the priorities of safety and health to the subcontractors, Wakeman ensured that the Wheelwright renovations followed all OSHA codes. “The school is always reviewing qualifications and background for both prime and subcontractors and it will continue to do so to ensure we have the appropriate firms on campus doing work,” he said.

The Academy also hired a hygienist to pull samples that would ensure asbestos safety for the construction workers on the job, according to Frasier. Though the protesters accused EnviroVantage and SMS services of being in violation of OSHA codes relating to asbestos, the companies ensured that the building is now thoroughly cleared of the toxic substance.

The protest affected work on the construction site, but Frasier was more concerned with “the fact that [the protests] adversely affected the school,” especially since summer school classes were in session.

According to Director of Summer School Elana Gosalvez-Blanco, the protest did not disturb classes or students. On the day of the protest, she sent an email out to the summer school student body to give an explanation and apologize for any inconveniences. She reassured students that the protest was directed at the sub-contractors and not the school.

However, one faculty member who wished to remain anonymous thought the protesters seemed to be sending a direct message to the Exeter community, rather than just their employees. The faculty member noticed several protesters with a message he or she thought was directed specifically towards students: “Are your tuition dollars paying for these companies that exploit immigrant workers?” The faculty member said this seemed to contradict the Academy’s message.

“The message that went out to the community from the summer school said this was between the employees and the employers, and that it didn’t have a lot to do with our community,” the faculty member said. “My take was that was not in fact the case. The protesters were trying to implicate not just their employer, but also the school for tacitly endorsing what they felt was an injustice.”

Because the protest took place on the far side of Wheelwright, Exonians noted that it was far enough away from academic buildings that the noises were barely audible and not a distraction for classes. Several reported that they did not witness much of the protest, and while the overall message was clear, it received minimal discussion on campus. History instructor Betty Luther Hillman said she “didn’t recall any reactions from students.”

Prep Wynter Tracey said that while she did hear an ample amount of discussion between students, she noticed they were mostly out of general confusion. Most of her friends did not know about the protest until it ended and the students who knew earlier continued to go about their day normally.

According to prep Adar Tulloch, a few students felt inclined to join the protest after hearing the protesters’ reasoning, but were stopped by Exeter faculty members for safety reasons. Like Tulloch, Lower Dolapo Adedokun noticed some students try to join as well, but said they “were only protesting to seem cool.”

“I remember a group of kids saying they were going to go and protest,” Dolalpo said. “But when I asked them why they were going they couldn't give me a legitimate answer as to what the protests were even about.”

While many students did not see much of the protest, some still recognized the importance of treating workers with respect. Prep Mahogany Johnson said working conditions have improved drastically, but she believes they still do not receive enough recognition for their work.

“I don't really know the cause of the protest, but I can understand why it happened,” she said. “I'll admit that for those who work in such a dangerous profession as construction workers, the progress in conditions has been amazing, but something’s still missing. This ‘something’ is an expression of gratitude and recognition for all the work the workers have done.”