Chicago Janitors Join Houston Labor Activists, Custodians in Fight for Better Salaries
SEIU/ Houston Janitors and supporters rally in front of 1100 Louisiana in downtown Houston on the first day of the janitors strike, October 23, 2006. By Meenu Bhardwaj for SEIU via filickr
As Houston janitors enter their fourth week on strike, janitors and supporters in a dozen cities are protesting today to demonstrate solidarity
Civil rights and labor activists from all over the country joined Houston area activists for several days of widespread protests including peaceful civil disobedience. Their goal is to highlight the damaging impact that low wages have on the country’s economy and to support janitors who are entering their fourth week of an unfair labor practices strike.
The city’s janitors are paid $9,000 annually, often clean 90+ toilets every night and work in some of the most exclusive real estate in the city. So far the cleaning contractors they work for, such as New York based ABM, have rejected paying the janitors a higher wage, claiming that $9,000 a year is a good wage.
“I know the fear that so many of the my co-workers have to live with—the fear that you could lose your job for speaking up,” said Josefina Carrasco, 57, who has been a janitor in Chicago for 10 years. “Janitors here in Houston can’t risk arrest without risking their jobs too. I can, so I will. It’s important for janitors to know how much support they have out in the world, and that we hope they will take strength from what we are doing here today. Because I have a good job I was able to send my 4 kids to college, I was able to build a middle class life for my family, janitors here in Houston deserve the same chance.”
The Houston commercial real estate market is the best performing market in the U.S. in terms of demand. A robust energy sector has driven up demand in the real estate market and lowered vacancy rates below the national average.
However, despite the health of the commercial real estate industry, Houston office cleaners are some of the lowest paid in the nation—most are paid $8.35 an hour or less. Out of town cleaning contractors like New York based ABM pay janitors working in cities with less healthy markets and lower rental rates more. For example, janitors working in Detroit where vacancy rates are 6.3 percent higher, and rental rates are more than five dollars lower janitors make $11.17 an hour.
“Today I am proudly taking a stand, so that workers everywhere know there is strength when you unite together,” said Matilde Reyes, 44, also a janitor from Chicago. “We follow a long line of freedom fighters who have taken arrest, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez—they did it for us, and now we do it for Houston janitors. This can help the whole world, because this type of mistreatment of working people is happening everywhere—and standing together, we have the power to create good jobs and a better life for working people.”
Read More: Houston Janitors Are Owed A Fair Wage, http://www.chron.com/
Conserjes de Chicago se Unen a Activistas Laborales de Houston, Intendentes Luchan por Mejores Salarios
A medida que los conserjes de Houston entran a su cuarta semana de huelga, los conserjes y partidarios de una docena de ciudades protestan hoy para demostrar solidaridad
Activistas de derechos civiles y laborales de todo el país se unieron a los activistas del área de Houston durante varios días de extensas protestas incluyendo desobediencia civil. Su meta es poner en relieve el perjudicial impacto que los bajos salarios tienen en la economía del país y apoyar a los conserjes que van entrando a su cuarta semana de una huelga por prácticas laborales injustas.
A los conserjes de la ciudad se les pagan $9,000 anualmente, a menudo limpian 90 o más baños todas las noches y trabajan en algunas de las más exclusivas propiedades de la ciudad. Hasta ahora, los contratistas de limpieza para los que trabajan, como ABM de Nueva York, han rechazado pagar a los conserjes un salario más alto, afirmando que $9,000 al año es un buen salario.
“Sé el temor con el que muchos de mis compañeros de trabajo tienen que vivir—el temor de que puedes perder tu trabajo por hablar”, dijo Josefina Carrasco, 57, que ha sido conserje en Chicago durante 10 años. “Los conserjes aquí en Houston no pueden arriesgarse al arresto sin también poner en riesgo sus trabajos. Yo puedo, así que lo haré. Es importante que los conserjes sepan cuánto apoyo tienen en el mundo, y que esperamos que agarren fuerzas de lo que estamos haciendo aquí hoy. Porque tengo un buen trabajo puede mandar a mis 4 hijos a la universidad, puede formar una vida de clase media para mi familia, los conserjes aquí en Houston merecen la misma oportunidad”.
El mercado de la propiedad comercial es el mercado de mejor rendimiento en los EE.UU. en términos de demanda. Un robusto sector de energía ha hecho aumentar la demanda y ha reducido las tasas de vacancia por debajo del promedio nacional.
Sin embargo, a pesar de la salud de la industria de la propiedad comercial. Los limpiadores de oficinas en Houston son unos de los menos pagados en el país—a la mayoría se les paga $8.35 por hora o menos. Los contratistas de limpieza de fuera como ABM de Nueva York pagan los conserjes que trabajan en ciudades con mercados menos saludables e índices menores de renta más. Por ejemplo, los conserjes que trabajan en Detroit donde la tasa de vacancia es un 6.3 por ciento más alta, y las rentas son más de cinco dólares menos los conserjes ganan $11.17 por hora.
“Hoy orgullosamente tomo una postura, para que los trabajadores de todas partes sepan que hay fuerza cuando te unes”, dijo Matilde Reyes, 44, también conserje de Chicago. “Seguimos una larga línea de luchadores por la libertad que han sido arrestados, como el Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. y César Chávez—lo hicieron por nosotros, y ahora lo hacemos por los conserjes de Houston. Esto puede ayudar al mundo entero, porque este tipo de maltrato a la gente trabajadora ocurre en todas partes—y uniéndonos, tenemos el poder de crear buenos trabajos y una mejor vida para la gente trabajadora”.
Lee más: Houston Janitors Are Owed A Fair Wage, http://www.chron.com/
August 1, 2012 - 10:04 am
I STAND with HOUSTON JANITORS, but I cannot support the SEIU Local one Chicago union, This is not my Grandfathers union….. I stand with any labor union that supports its members and works for equality and justice for all people. SEIU Local 1 Chicago only supports its own interests. They didn’t protect me, so who did they protect? I worked many years in apartment building maintenance in the west burbs of Chicago. As a past local 1 union member I can tell you first hand, when it came to the local 1 union supporting me when I needed them, THEY DID NOTHING. I filed and won my grievance with the union. My employer Mid America Management Corp. terminated me the same day I won my grievance. The SEIU #1 did nothing. Corporations like Mid America management have been putting good hard working union members and non-union members out of work for a long time, I have been shouting this since 2002 at the top of my voice, and either no one hears or no one cares….. see the letter of support from SEIU local 1 Chicago that got me immediately terminated from my job of 11 years… SEIU local 1 allowed corporate power and influence to reverse the outcome of an already decided and documented grievance.
. If any corporation is able to affect the final outcome of a labor grievance in this way, then collective bargaining is only an illusion.
I hope my union brothers and sisters of the past understand this is not an attack on them or the precept of the union. I believe I am due clarification, I believe we are all due clarification, if for no other reason than ensure it never happens to anyone again. Please stand with me and demand answers.