College students and supporters protested and marched to their pre-trial hearing at the Boston District Court at Government Center yesterday morning. The students were brought to court for engaging in civil disobedience while protesting janitors’ pay at the Prudential Center last Thursday.

Although the results of the students’ hearing will remain unknown until November, representatives from the National Student Labor Action Project speculated that the arrested students will end up with community service.

SLAP took the opportunity to reaffirm its cause yesterday. The group alleges that janitors working at universities in Boston are underpaid and denied healthcare.

“Shame on UNICCO,” chanted the group, referring to Boston’s largest cleaning company. SLAP said it holds UNICCO responsible for refusing to grant janitors health benefits. To compound the issue, SLAP also claimed UNICCO has a vast record of both sexual harassment and health and safety violations.

“It’s unfair for these people not to have health insurance and to receive low wages for the long hours that they work,” said Northeastern University student Mike Amato. “We didn’t stand for it Thursday, we’re not standing for it today, and we won’t stand for it tomorrow.”

Harvard student James Hare, one of the nine arrested, said he thought their acts were justified.

“The real criminals are those at Boston Properties who refuse to stand up for the people who clean their buildings, who refuse to insist that those who clean their buildings deserve enough to eat, a place to live and health care for themselves and their families,” Hare said. “These are basic human rights, they are not negotiable.”

Before advancing to the courthouse, a SLAP representative warned UNICCO of future arrests on the way unless the company meets janitors’ needs.

Along with the efforts of SLAP, union workers intend to go on strike starting Sept. 30. At this point, UNICCO said it shows no signs of buckling under the pressure.