Janitors Vote to Strike

MINNEAPOLIS - Janitors, who clean major office buildings throughout the Twin Cities, have voted to strike. More than 4,000 janitors have been working without a contract since Jan. 8.

On Saturday, the janitors voted to give their bargaining committee the power to call a strike over alleged unfair labor practices, meaning they could walk off the job at anytime.

“No one ever wants to go on strike, and we’ve worked hard to avoid that, but we are also ready to move forward,” said Chico Coleman a janitor at Securian in Saint Paul and a member of the janitors’ bargaining team. “We want to make green cleaning the norm in the Twin Cities, and make sure that our jobs are full-time green jobs with good health care for our families.”

The union members with SEIU Local 26 work at companies that include US Bancorp, Ameriprise, Target, and Medtronic.

Union representatives say full-time custodians have had their income cut by as much as 25 percent through a reduction of hours and have inadequate health insurance.
 

In a statement, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Contract Cleaners Association said: "We are deeply disappointed with the union’s action and urge them to join us in working to negotiate a contract in the mutual best interest of workers, tenants, and building owners and managers. We invite them to negotiate in good faith and put aside their campaign of inaccurate public statements that mischaracterize our proposals and positions. Regardless of their rhetoric, we are prepared to sit down again at the bargaining table. "