Janitors who are part of SEIU-United Service Workers West in San Diego and other parts of the state overwhelmingly ratified a new contract, the union has announced.
After their contract expired April 30, thousands of janitors who clean California’s largest office buildings, studios and tech campuses were set to strike if they did not reach an agreement.
However, they were able to come to terms on a new pact with the state’s largest janitorial employers that includes wage increases, pensions for all members and protections against abusive workloads, according to union president David Huerta.
Union members in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, the Bay Area and Sacramento voted to approve the contract Monday. The union announced the results Tuesday.
“The amount of work that janitors were asked to do on a shift, especially after the pandemic, has reached dangerous levels and people are getting injuries from heavy lifting and repetitive motion,” said Maria Ortiz, a janitor from Los Angeles and a member of the bargaining committee.
“We weren’t going to accept an agreement that didn’t include workload protections.”
– City News Service