Twin Cities janitors declare contract victory

The settlement with metro-area cleaning companies is "truly unprecedented" in providing more family health care coverage and more full-time jobs for the 4,200 janitors represented by Service Employees International Union Local 26, President Javier Morillo said.

The agreement followed "a whirlwind 72 hours" during which Local 26 members simultaneously prepared to strike and tried to hammer out a settlement, he said. Morillo praised Local 26 members and "the employers who stood up for what was right in this contract."

SEIU Local 26 President Javier Morillo is surrounded by members as he announces a tentative contract settlement Monday at St. Paul City Hall.

Under the new agreement, full-time janitors will have the option of an affordable health plan starting in July, the union said. By 2009, the cost to employees will be $20 per month for single coverage and $75 per month for family coverage. The contract also increases the number of full-time janitors so more are eligible for health insurance through their jobs.

In addition, full-time janitors will receive wage increases of 10 percent over the course of the three-year pact. It also moves forward in closing the wage gap between full- and part-time workers, the union said.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, who supported the janitors in their campaign for a fair settlement, praised union members for their courage and vision.

"It\’s a wonderful day today," said Rybak. "Today is an important step . . ."

"It\’s a victory for everyone who knows the importance of affordable health care for all Minnesotans and all Americans," said Coleman.

In the months preceding the agreement, Local 26 pulled together an impressive community coalition to support its "Justice for Janitors" campaign. Supporters included other unions, elected officials, religious organizations and community groups. Morillo said the public campaign, in particular the effort to put pressure on building owners, was "decisive."

Local 26 members clean buildings in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and other metro-area communities, as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The previous contract between the union and cleaning contractors expired Dec. 31. On Jan. 13, after the companies had walked away from the bargaining table, janitors voted to authorize a strike if necessary. Negotiations resumed Jan. 31.

A ratification vote is scheduled Saturday. But Local 26 members said their work is not done.

"There are a lot more people like us out there who don\’t have good health care," said Jamilo Ali, a janitor in downtown St. Paul. "That\’s why we have to keep working to get affordable health care for everyone."

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (center) and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (left) praised the janitors for taking on the difficult issue of affordable health care. Rybak said the real solution is universal coverage making health care a right, not a bargaining issue.

For more information
Visit the Workday Minnesota special section on the Justice for Janitors campaign

Watch coverage of the contract settlement and Justice for Janitors on the next Minnesota at Work, showing Saturdays at 9 a.m. on Twin Cities Regional Cable Channel 6.