Today marks the day that nearly all 85 UW swing-shift custodians were slated to move to the day shift, a decision originally made by UW Custodial Services March 15 to help mitigate the 16 percent cut the department is facing. The transition would have left many custodians — who in the daytime take care of their children, provide food or administer medication to ailing family members — with nowhere to turn.

However, swing-shift custodians learned late last week that they wouldn’t have to change their schedules; in fact, today they will be reporting for duty at their regularly scheduled time of 4:30 p.m. and working until 1:30 a.m.

Shortly after last Thursday’s special Board of Regents meeting, at which UW custodians voiced their concerns, UW Custodial Services held a special meeting of its own at which it was decided that the date for swing-shift custodians to transfer to the day shift would be extended from June 1 to July 1.

“It’s true that they’ve been given an extra mo-nth,” said Scott Spencer, one of the two assistant directors of UW Custodial Services who is responsible for overseeing the swing shift.

Spencer said the change is not only meant to allow custodians more time to prepare for the transfer.

“It’s more to allow us to continue negotiations with the custodians,” he said.

This is the second extension UW Custodial Services has given swing-shift custodians. When custodians first received their transfer notices March 15, they were slated to transfer May 18. After negotiations between the two parties, UW Custodial Services moved the transfer date to June 1.

However, UW custodians and the union representing them, Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) Local 1488, have been unsatisfied with the way negotiations have taken place during the extra time. UW Custodial Services has offered to keep eight swing-shift positions available after the switch for custodians with the strongest hardship cases.

However, swing-shift custodians hope that during the next 30 days, things will change.

“We would like to see some flexibility from the university and allow those people to stay at night, especially those … who take care of their [families],” said Salvador Castillo, swing-shift custodian and WFSE 1488 executive vice president. “I don’t want to see those people get hurt or lose their property or be on the street.”

UW swing-shift custodian Ken Mills has confidence that the testimony given about swing-shift custodians at the special Board of Regents meeting will push UW Custodial Services to be “more realistic” in its negotiations.

“Before the meeting, their decision was locked in stone,” Mills said. “After the Board of Regents meeting, they are willing. I’ll leave it open to interpretations, but [considering the timing of the transfer extension], it seems to have some direct bearing on the testimony to the regents.”

However, Spencer said he isn’t sure what precipitated the decision to extend the transfer date.

“All I heard was that there was going to be a delay to July 1 [to transfer swing-shift custodians],” Spencer said.

Whether or not the testimony had a direct impact on the decision to extend the transfer date, Mills said he’s glad that the regents are now more aware of swing-shift custodians’ situation.

“We hope that this time will be used by the Board of Regents to familiarize themselves with the issue,” he said.

Reach reporter Eric Staples at news@dailyuw.com.