FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, October 16, 2006

CONTACT:
Lynda Tran,  202-907-1172

With strike imminent for 5,300 Houston janitors…

Union Workers from Across U.S. Invest $1 Million Toward Good Jobs with Health Care for Houston’s Working Families

HOUSTON –- In the latest display of what has become an historic national commitment of time and resources, union janitors from New York, Chicago, Boston and other cities invested $1 million today toward good jobs with health care for Houston’s working families.  With Houston’s janitors set to strike any day, SEIU janitors around the country who work for the same employers in buildings owned by the same commercial landlords donated $1 million toward the Houston strike fund. More than 5,300 janitors who clean the majority of Houston’s office space are in the final stages of contract talks where they are seeking a raise to $8.50/hour, more hours, and health insurance. They currently work part-time, are paid $5.30/hour and receive no health or other benefits.

“This is a down payment toward a better future for all working families in Houston,” said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina. “Union members around the country are saying with this donation that it is unacceptable for Houston workers to continue living in poverty. Helping thousands of janitors lift themselves out of poverty and gain access to health care is an important step toward building stronger communities and a stronger economy.” More donations to the Houston janitors’ strike fund are expected. On September 23, seeing little progress at the bargaining table, Houston janitors overwhelmingly voted to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike at any time.

“Now we will have the financial support we need if we decide to go on strike,” said Bargaining Committee member Veronica Taboada, a janitor who cleans a building managed by Hines, Houston’s largest commercial landlord. “Going on strike is not an easy decision, but we may have no choice. We are grateful to have such strong support from workers around the country.”

Today’s donation—from SEIU (Service Employees International Union) janitors in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh—is the latest in an increasing display of support for Houston janitors from SEIU janitors around the country. In these cities, janitors have begun to take action in support of Houston’s janitors, many of whom work for the same large, national cleaning companies and clean buildings owned by many of the same large, national real estate companies as the union janitors elsewhere. Janitors in these cities have pledged to do whatever it takes to help Houston janitors win a fair contract, including honoring picket lines of Houston janitors should a strike occur.

Houston’s largest commercial landlords, such as Hines, Transwestern and PM Realty, have refused so far to support better conditions for janitors in Houston, despite their support for higher wages and benefits in other major cities where workers have formed a union with SEIU.

Prior to the janitors’ planned bargaining session today at the DoubleTree Hotel downtown, local clergy and elected leaders held a prayer service with the janitors’ bargaining committee outside the hotel and called for Houston’s building landlords to support good jobs with health care for all working families.