Office Cleaners Ready to Walk
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Downtown DC rents run $80 a square foot and more, but the people who clean those
offices often don’t even make that much in a day’s work. SEIU 32BJ, which
represents some 12,000 area office cleaners, announced yesterday that its
members had approved a strike if a fair contract is not reached; negotiations
continue toward a mid-month contract expiration. “We know how to bargain, we
know how to organize and we know how to strike,” warned Local 32BJ Capital
Area Director Jaime Contreras. He was joined by Virginia State Senator Mary
Margaret Whipple, Montgomery County Council Chair Valerie Ervin and Metro
Council President Jos Williams at a mid-afternoon press conference on
Pennsylvania Avenue. “Building owners can afford to pay a fair wage,” said
Whipple. “Nothing’s more important than raising our voices and saying
(demands for givebacks) have got to stop,” added Ervin. “What happens to you
sends a message to everyone,” said Williams, connecting ongoing struggles from
Wisconsin to the postal workers. “One movement, one fight!” vowed
Contreras.
- report/photo by Chris
Garlock