Silicon Valley Janitors March for Better Wages & Healthcare

On May 8, one week after their contract expired, over 200 janitors rallied and marched in downtown San Jose.

Hundreds of janitors who clean the campuses and offices of Silicon Valley's high-tech and bio-tech giants marched from San Jose City Hall through downtown past the offices they clean nightly to a rally in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Janitors have been picketing at hi-tech and bio-tech corporate campuses throughout the Silicon Valley over the past two weeks. In Los Angeles, janitors went on an unfair labor practice strike at more than 40 hi-rise office buildings.

"Right here in the Silicon Valley where you have the most wealthy companies in the country, many of us cannot afford to retire with dignity and have to keep on working just to survive. The hi-tech industry is thriving, while we struggle to support our families," said Juana Reyes, a janitor cleaning a hi-tech campus. Reyes, 68, works for ACME/GCA, a cleaning company that provides janitorial services to Cisco and other corporate clients.

SANTA CLARA: HIGHEST MEDIAN SALARY, JANITOR WAGES LOWEST
Santa Clara County is among the top five most expensive places to live and yet janitors here are currently earning some of the lowest wages in the entire country among unionized janitors. The median salary for Santa Clara County is the highest for any region in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In San Francisco, janitors earn $17 an hour and have fully paid family health care when they start employment. In Silicon Valley, home to thriving hi-tech and bio-tech economy and some of the most expensive commercial office space, janitors are currently paid only $11.04 an hour, $23,000 a year, which is less than half of what the Economic Policy Institute says it takes to meet basic needs for a family of four, or $54,000 annually. A janitor would need to work 112 hours a week to support their family on the current wages.

Silicon Valley janitors currently earn less than $400 a week, and would have to pay more than 60% of their wages on rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Jose, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (fair market rates 2008).

STATEWIDE ELECTED LEADERS CALL ON BUILDING OWNERS
As janitors prepare to put down their brooms and pick up picket signs across California, state senators are calling on property owners, businesses and government entities to support decent wages and family health care for the state's janitors. SCR 102 (Kehoe) "Justice for Janitors" passed through the Senate today. The resolution moves on to the Assembly Labor Committee
CONDITIONS AMONG JANITORS
ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS
More than 16,000 janitors across the state are now working under expired contracts.

For more info. visit: www.seiu-usww.org

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• SEIU
• Janitors
• Hi-tech
• Cisco
• Intel
• HP
• Apple
• Applied
• Materials

[1888junkteam]

excellent work!

[rmatten2]

It is our own fault. We have no control over the borders.

[disannAPP]

That's the spirit!