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