Some may welcome the opportunity for 30 extra minutes of sleep. Others, including many Iowa State custodial workers, don’t like the idea.

Custodial workers for the Department of Residence are wearing black armbands this week in quiet protest of a recent decision concerning their job schedules.

Effective next fall, janitors of all ISU residence halls are required to check into work at 8 a.m., a half an hour later than their usual 7:30 shift start.

And quitting time will also be pushed ahead 30 minutes, to 4:30 p.m.

Complaints have also stemmed from the relocation of some workers, which is another department modification.

In an effort to voice their discontent with the Department of Residence’s “compromise,” janitors opted to don armbands last Friday.

They also have filed complaints with AFSCME.

First-year residence hall director Randy Alexander said reasons behind the change include conflicts between workers and residents.

He said custodians start their duties, like vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms, at about 7:30 a.m., the same time students are beginning their day.

Not only does the drone of the vacuum irritate both sleeping and awakened students, he said, but bathroom cleaning is a major problem.

He said custodians are slowed by the constant bustle of residents in and out of the bathrooms, and their jobs interfere with student schedules.

“I feel like it’s a valid approach,” Alexander said. “We have to be sensitive to student needs. We’re not like the Union or a classroom. People live here.”

Alexander said most students use the bathroom in the morning between 7 and 9 a.m. He said if cleaning times were moved even a half hour, a lot of time would be saved.

“If the custodians wait and miss the rush, they can clean more efficiently,” he said.

“Thirty minutes doesn’t seem like much, and it seems like one person doesn’t make a difference. But it makes a significant difference overall,” he said.

Many workers disagree.

Nancyne Iverson, a custodial worker in Maple Hall, said the extra 30 minutes won’t make a difference. She also said clocking out later is risky in winter weather because dark sets in earlier and roads tend to become more ice-covered after dark.

“Most of us commute,” she said. “In the winter, it’s dark at a quarter ’til 5. The roads are slick by then.”

Employees said the new times will present a conflict with their car-pooling system as well.

Alexander said the system will accommodate the changes, but janitors remain doubtful.

“There’s nothing set in concrete,” Iverson said. “We’re still waiting to hear.”

In addition to time changes, some employees will shift to different buildings and pick up new duties.

Donna Rodgers, a seventh-year janitor in Linden Hall, said she read about her new job placement on last week’s schedule. She said next fall she will move to a new area on campus.

“It wasn’t a choice,” she said. “I was told to leave. … I wish they’d leave things the way they were before.”

Rodgers said wearing armbands and speaking out won’t likely sway management’s decision, but she said it is a necessity.

Some students, as well, have voiced displeasure about the job modifications through e-mail.

Stacy Hoagland, a resident of the all-female Maple Hall, said she’s uncomfortable that the janitor on her floor will be replaced by a man.

“We don’t like the idea of having a guy clean our bathrooms,” she said. “If it were co-ed, it wouldn’t matter.”

Alexander said relocating custodial workers will be more efficient and will incorporate student workers with the staff.

He said he understands his employees’ complaints.

“Change is hard for people,” Alexander said. “They’ve been working for a lot of years.”

Karen Kellogg, facilities manager of housing and food at Towers, said the adjustment will require the custodial personnel to have the same hours as the maintenance personnel.

She had not seen the armbands but said, “That’s their choice to protest. It’s difficult when change happens to people. It’s hard to adjust.”