NEW ROCHELLE – The housekeeping and maintenance staff at the College of New Rochelle have voted unanimously to strike.  The roughly 60 employees are represented by Teamsters Local 445, based in Newburgh.

Union Principal Officer Adrian Huff said that the main issue is pay raises.

"The college is offering no raise the first year, and only 25 cents per hour in the second and third year of the contract," said Huff. He said that both sides have been trying to reach an agreement for the past 10 months.

"We have tried to explain to the college that these employees are struggling very hard to pay their bills, and that expenses in Westchester County are probably higher than any other county in the nation," he said.

Huff said the union would announce the exact timing of the strike on the night before it occurs. He said the school’s kitchen staff is expected to join the strike in early September.