Office Cleaners Ready to Walk

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Office Cleaners Ready to Walk(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

 

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