Raising Standards, Adding Value

RAISING STANDARDS, ADDING VALUE

Portland Janitors’ Campaign for Healthy Families, Safe Jobs, and a Secure Future

After three years of struggle, ServiceMaster janitors win first contract

Janitors who clean downtown buildings and the Rose Quarter for ServiceMaster of Swan Island have been organizing for three years to form a union with SEIU Local 49. This summer, they finally won their first union contract.

The janitors' four-year campaign for a union contract included countless marches, rallies, and picket lines; three strikes, and the settlement of a class-action lawsuit for almost $84,000 in back wages to ServiceMaster employees.

Many local community and religious leaders and elected officials supported the ServiceMaster janitors, including Portland mayor-elect Sam Adams. “I was here two years ago supporting ServiceMaster janitors in their campaign for justice,” said Adams at a Justice for Janitors Day Rally June 13, “and I am thrilled to announce that ServiceMaster janitors are about to sign their first contract. This is a Justice for Janitors Day with much to celebrate. But we also need to keep working to attain justice for all workers and their families."

SEIU Local 49 Janitors win historic agreement in their campaign for Healthy Families, Safe Jobs, and a Secure Future.

The agreement includes affordable health care coverage for kids, and across-the-board wage increases that will help janitors and their families keep pace with the rising cost of living.

For the first time, janitors will also enjoy a vision benefit and an additional personal holiday that they can use in case of illness.
The increased wages and benefits will help lower turnover and increase safety in buildings, as janitors will now be able to stay home if they are ill.

“We are proud that we reached a fair and equitable settlement that raises standards for hundreds of janitors and their families and guarantees that responsible union janitorial contractors will be able to remain competitive," said Alice Dale, President of SEIU Local 49. "We would like to thank the Portland business community and those property owners who have committed to using responsible union janitorial contractors.”

“This contract is a big step forward for hundreds of hard-working janitors in Portland and SW Washington," said Renato Quintero, an SBM janitor who cleans the Intel Campus. "We have been fighting for health care for children for more then 7 years, and now for the first time we will be able to insure our children. This will have a positive impact in our communities.”

Bryan Leeder, an ABM janitor in the Lloyd District, said: “the rising cost of living makes it hard for many working families to make ends meet. I feel good about the wage increases we were able to negotiate, and it makes me feel more confident about staying with ABM and at the building I clean for a long time.”

WHO WE ARE

This Summer, nearly 1700 Portland janitors who work hard cleaning some of Oregon’s most prominent businesses and landmarks — City Hall, the Portland Airport, the Intel campus, and many others — are fighting for healthy families, safe jobs and a secure future. <read more>

WITH RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTORS, EVERYBODY WINS

Lower turnover means lower costs and higher security for businesses. Contractors who do not provide health coverage provide poorer services to tenants due to greater absenteeism, reduced efficiency, and lower productivity.
<read more>

Are you a buliding tenant?
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Responsible janitorial contractors help raise standards and add value to your property

Protect your investment
Low-bid contracting often does not result in the best value for businesses because it disregards “hidden costs” — such as the cost of poor quality performance and the cost of poorly trained or uninsured workforces.
Risky contracting decisions can land your business in the courtroom or newspaper.
Low-road contractors who fail to comply with wage and hour or workplace safety laws can attract bad publicity that negatively impacts owners and tenants.

Better jobs; better business
Better jobs lead to lower turnover, which leads to lower costs, higher quality service, and increased security in office buildings.
With building vacancies expected to increase in coming years, the market will favor owners who offer better services to their tenants. Responsible contractors who offer good jobs that keep turnover down will be best positioned to provide those quality services.

Invest in your future now
For a list of qualified responsible contractors, contact Maggie Long at SEIU Local 49: maggiel@seiu49.org