Minneapolis janitors to picket in support of Houston strikers

In Minneapolis, the action will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, at the US Bank building, 8th St. and Nicollet Ave. Service Employees International Union Local 26, which is coordinating the event, is asking supporters to sign up via its Facebook page.

Last week, hundreds of Houston janitors represented by SEIU Local 1 walked off the job in the first city-wide janitors\’ strike since 2006. Workers are concerned about attempts to undercut their health care coverage, the union said.

“Three contractors – Pritchard, Aztec and Eurest – have stopped making contributions to the workers\’ health and welfare fund,” Local 1 said. “Meanwhile, two others – GCA and ISS – have stopped withholding worker contributions to the fund, a potential indication that they too plan on not contributing to the health and welfare fund. The net result of this activity has been a sense of panic among the workers that their healthcare coverage is in peril. This morning, SEIU Local 1 filed unfair labor practice charges against each of the cleaning contractors.”

Janitors asked for a modest raise from $8.35 per hour to $10 per hour to be phased in over four years, the union said. Janitorial contractors responded by offering a raise of 50 cents over five years – “an almost certain promise that janitors will continue to live in poverty,” members said.

As the walkout heads into its second week, more than 400 janitors in 18 buildings are on strike and it is expected to grow next week, the union reported. The strike has garnered local and national support from members of Congress and celebrities such as activist/actor Danny Glover. NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous raised the plight of the janitors’ during his keynote address at the NAACP Convention in Houston.

“What’s happening in Houston is a microcosm of what’s happening to our whole country,” said Elsa Caballero, state director for SEIU Local 1 Texas. “The gap between the richest 1% and working families is growing every day. It’s going to take bold action to rebuild our country’s middle class.”

Janitors in Houston, Minneapolis and other major cities clean the offices of some of the richest corporations in the world yet they struggle to make ends meet. In Houston, that includes profitable corporations like Chevron, Hines, Brookfield, Shell Oil, and JP Morgan.

“Despite record profits and inflated CEO pay, janitors who clean Houston’s office buildings are paid just $9,000 a year,” SEIU Local 1 said.

Picketing also is planned this week in Washington D.C.; Seattle; San Ramon and Oakland, California; Boston, Los Angeles and Denver.

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