FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
April 30, 2005

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Sylvia Cavazos      
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Houston's 'invisible workforce,' stepping out of the shadows...

Houston Office Cleaners, Community, Religious, Elected Leaders Launch 'Justice for Janitors' Campaign

Convention and Rally Kick Off Janitors' Drive To Secure Affordable Family Health Care, Fair Wages, Full-Time Work, Better Working Conditions

HOUSTON -- Visit the doctor or buy groceries? Without health insurance, that's the dilemma faced by 8,000 Houston janitors who are paid an average of $106 per week.

The janitors, with the backing of Houston's community, religious and elected leaders, today kicked off an historic campaign to secure family health care, fair wages, full-time work, and better working conditions by uniting to form a union with SEIU (Service Employees International Union), the nation's largest union of janitors and other immigrant workers.

The janitors who clean Houston's office buildings are paid an average of $5.25 an hour and do not receive health insurance or other benefits.  Nearly the entire workforce is part-time and janitors, nearly all of whom are Latino immigrants, report they frequently are exploited on the job.  At the convention, janitors, part of Houston's "invisible workforce," will tell their stories of working hard while still struggling to provide for their families and pay for health care, and why they are uniting to achieve a better life.

"Without health insurance I worry about what I will do if my six-year old daughter gets sick," says janitor Ercilia Sandoval.  "She has cavities now, but it costs $120 each to fill them, and we can't afford it.  I want to form a union so my family won't have to worry so much."

Despite the city's reputation as an affordable city with a low cost of living, janitors cannot afford basic living expenses in Houston.  Average expenses, including food, housing, transportation, child care and other necessities, for a Houston-area family with two parents and two children top $2,000 a month, according to the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.

"Houston is a city that values work.  But the hard work of janitors is not being justly rewarded," said Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza.  "Every worker in Houston, no matter what kind of job they do, should receive fair wages and have access to secure, affordable family health care.  We must stand with the janitors in their struggle for justice and dignity."

Janitors are joining the efforts to secure affordable health care for working people in Houston

Houston is in the midst of a severe health care crisis that puts a major financial strain on workers, businesses, taxpayers, and public budgets.  One in four Houstonians -- about 1 million area residents -- do not have health insurance.

The janitors' organizing campaign is joining the ongoing community-wide efforts of ACORN, TMO, business and political leaders, and others to improve access to secure, affordable health care for all working people in Houston.

For the last year, clergy and community leaders throughout Houston have urged support for the janitors' effort to form a union and invited janitors and SEIU representatives to speak to their membership about the workers' struggle for better jobs and access to affordable health care.

Houston is the largest city in America in which public tax dollars are paying for the cost of janitors' health care.  In 2003, the three Harris County public hospitals spent nearly $500 million in 'uncompensated care,' much of it to pay for the cost of providing health care to the uninsured.

In other cities where janitors have formed a union with SEIU, janitors have worked together with community organizations and businesses to push for lower health costs and increase access to affordable health care for all working people. 

A call for stable, full-time jobs with benefits

"I want a union so I can have one full-time job with health insurance instead of two part-time jobs that leave my family vulnerable to illness," said janitor Aurora Villareal, who cleans bathrooms on seven floors of an office building in the early evening and has a second cleaning job at night.

Changing work in the janitorial industry from part-time to full-time and improving pay and benefits is proven to improve employee retention and productivity.  Companies that report turnover is "not a problem" clean an average of 714 square feet of office space per employee hour more than those where turnover is "too high and a problem."[1] The current turnover rates among janitors in Houston are estimated to be 200-300% a year, and the cost of constantly replacing janitors also adds up. An industry publication estimates that if an employee leaves within one month, the turnover cost is equivalent to three months wages. If the employee leaves within six months, that cost rises to a full year's wages. [2]

Support from janitors around the country

More than fifty janitors who have formed a union with SEIU in other major cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., were on hand at the convention to lend their support to the Houston janitors.  More than 200,000 janitors in more than 28 cities throughout the United States have united in SEIU as part of the national movement called "Justice for Janitors." For more info, visit www.justiceforjanitors.org

1 Cleaning Maintenance & Management, May, 1998.
2 Cleaning Maintenance & Management On-Line, February 2003.