Janitorial union marches ahead of contract expiration this weekend
CHICAGO — The contract for thousands of Chicago-area janitors is set to expire this weekend and according to them, bargaining is not getting them the changes they want so, they marched.
Janitorial workers from SEIU Local 1 rallied in the rain and the snow Wednesday, and then marched to the headquarters of the Building Owners and Management Association, also known as BOMA.
“We are four days shy of contract expiration – time is running out for BOMA and the contractors to come to an agreement with SEIU Local 1 janitors,” said SEIU Local 1 President Genie Kastrup. “Janitors are vital to keeping our city’s buildings sanitized, safe and welcoming and they deserve a contract that allows them to live with dignity and support their families, nothing less.
“The livelihood of 8,000 janitors is at stake and everyday members across Chicagoland are demonstrating their readiness and commitment to doing whatever it takes – including a strike if it comes to that.”
The contract would impact 3,000 janitors at commercial buildings in downtown Chicago, and 8,000 total across Chicagoland.
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SEIU Local 1 leadership said their current contract with BOMA has fallen behind inflation, and some workers WGN News spoke with said people have to work second jobs to make ends meet.
The union said pay for a full-time janitor is about $41,912 a year before taxes, not enough to make ends meet in Chicago. And they’ve got the support of members from around the country… who are facing a similar climate.
“The building owners came to us and said the interest rates are high, the vacancies are too high, the remote work is never coming back, we want to take things away,” said Manny Pastreich, from SEIU 32BJ in New Jersey.
This is the first contract they’ve negotiated since the pandemic — A time when these workers couldn’t do their jobs from home.
“Let’s not forget when people and businesses were hurting during the pandemic,” said Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor. “You were the people in those businesses they were hurting and sacrificing.”
BOMA provided WGN News with the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
“We appreciate and respect the work our represented janitorial staff contributes to keeping our buildings healthy and creating welcoming spaces. We continue to engage in productive negotiations that reflect their importance as we strive to keep the commercial office industry economically sustainable during a historic downturn in the market.” – Farzin Parang, Executive Director BOMA Chicago
SEIU Local 1’s contract with BOMA is set to expire Sunday, and workers said if they don’t reach an agreement, they will vote on whether to authorize a strike Saturday.
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