With 1 in 3 area residents living without health care...
Houston Janitors and Responsible Corporate Leaders Help Address Crisis for Thousands of Low-Wage Workers with Groundbreaking New Health Clinic
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Houston janitors are joining elected and community leaders today to unveil the “Houston Service Workers Clinic”—a partnership between janitors, responsible corporate leaders and health care providers that offers a groundbreaking model for providing low-cost, quality health care for low-wage workers. The clinic opening comes as Houston janitors mark the anniversary of a month-long strike that put a human face on Houston’s health care crisis.
"Two years ago I stood beside the Mayor and told the world 'Houston won big,'" said Mercedes Herrera, a Houston janitor who helped lead the workers' historic strike. "Today we celebrate another victory for Houston families as we open our health care clinic."
The Houston Service Workers Clinic will give more than 5,300 commercial office janitors access to quality, affordable health care for only $205 a month per worker––less than one-third of a penny per square foot of rental space in downtown buildings. Health insurance for janitors is set to begin January 1.
With one in three people in Houston currently living without health care, the clinic takes an innovative approach to solving Houston’s healthcare crisis, which has cost Harris County public and private hospitals nearly $20 billion for uncompensated care since 1993.
Doctors from Baylor College of Medicine will provide primary care at the clinic and health insurance through Cinga Health will cover treatment outside of the clinic.
"This innovative program goes hand-in-hand with the mission of Baylor College of Medicine's Department of Family and Community Medicine to provide patient-centered medical care and serve as a force for promoting health in the community," said Dr. John C. Rogers, interim chair of the department. "This program offers a creative approach to bringing a new group into the ranks of the insured. Our physicians will offer the highest quality primary care and serve as a gateway for specialized care."
Read the Houston Chronicle Article, Janitors' dream coming true: a clinic of their own
Janitors' Victory in Houston Sparks Hope for New Era of Economic Gains for Families in America
City-wide union contract will more than double income for more than 5,300 janitors and families, latest victory in national fight for good jobs with health care
On the heels of a string of victories in Miami, Los Angeles and Boston that have resulted in dramatic gains for families, more than 5,300 janitors in Houston won higher wages, more hours, and health insurance in their first city-wide union contract. The contract will lift hundreds of janitors out of poverty, more than doubling their income within 24 months and guaranteeing secure affordable health care. Houston is the second major victory for janitors in less than a year, and is being seen as a major breakthrough in the South and for low-wage workers around the country. More.
"Janitors' contract strengthens the entire city"
An editorial in the November 23, 2006 Houston Chronicle says,
Inside or outside the labor union that won the first major contract for Houston janitors this week, the new agreement is momentous. The most obvious beneficiaries are the workers who saw their wages raised from some of the lowest in the nation. But in the long term, Houston residents of all backgrounds will also see improvement — in their wallets and in the city's well-being.
Read the full editorial, Raising dignity: Janitors' living wage contract improves quality of life in Houston.