Seattle Justice for Janitors

SEATTLE--Over 200 members and supporters of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 6 gathered to demand a decent contract for area janitors as part of a national Justice for Janitors day of action on June 13.

Local 6 is negotiating a new contract for 3,000 janitors in Seattle and the surrounding area. Its current contract covers 95 percent of janitors in commercial buildings in the city. The key issues are wages and health care.

So far, the cleaning contractors are making only paltry offers on these issues. They have offered only 25 cents per hour in wages, and want the janitors to pay any increases in health care premiums.

The janitors are determined to get a much better contract. They noted that the rental rates building owners get have risen rapidly over the last few years, while janitors' wages have stagnated. As one janitor put it, " They have plenty of money. It's about time they pay us a decent wage!"

Several janitors and representatives of SEIU Locals 775 and 925 addressed the rally. The workers' contract is up in a month. If there is no progress, there will be more rallies. And if that doesn't work, union members are talking about a strike that would shut down cleaning services to most downtown buildings.