MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

CONTACT:
Lynda Tran
202-907-1172

Day 3: Houston Janitors Strike Schedule of Events

SEIU President Andrew L. Stern to Join with Rep. Green, State Elected Officials to Support Striking Houston Janitors

Houston -–Andrew L. Stern, President of the 1.8 million Service Employees International Union, will join with Congressman Gene Green and State Representatives Garnet Coleman, Ana E. Hernandez, Dora Olivo, County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, and Houston City Council Member Adrian Garcia on the picket line to support Houston janitors on strike.

Contract talks for more than 5,300 janitors ended last Tuesday with Houston’s five largest cleaning companies refusing after months of negotiations to propose even modest pay and benefit improvements to janitors currently making only $20 a day. In addition, the cleaning companies are facing an investigation by the federal labor board over charges they illegally fired and intimidated janitors who have been involved in their union.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS THIS WEEK

Wednesday, October 25 (Note change in time)
5:00PM City’s Leaders to Join Janitors’ Picket Lines
Outside 1100 Louisiana, Downtown Houston
WHO:

  • Andrew Stern, SEIU International President
  • U.S. Rep. Gene Green
  • Representative Garnet Coleman
  • Representative Ana E. Hernandez
  • Representative Dora Olivo
  • Houston City Council Member Adrian Garcia
  • County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia

SATURDAY, October 28
2:00PM MARCH FOR JUSTICE
Grady Park, Galleria
Houston elected, faith, and community leaders, janitors, families, other supporters

More than 5,300 janitors who clean the majority of Houston’s office space have the lowest wages and benefits of any major city in the United States—earning an average of $5.30/hour with no health or other benefits for almost exclusively part-time work. Since forming a union with SEIU last year, they have been seeking a raise to $8.50/hour, more hours, and health insurance in contract talks with the city’s five largest cleaning companies, ABM, OneSource, GCA, Sanitors, and Pritchard.