News

Hundreds of Houston janitors, the majority of whom make less than $9,000 annually, have walked off the job in the first city-wide janitors’ strike since 2006. With hundreds of striking workers already rallying in downtown Houston, the strike is expected to escalate and could possibly spread to other cities.

Houston janitors clean the offices of some of the richest corporations in the world, including profitable corporations like Chevron, Hines, Shell Oil, and JP Morgan. Despite record profits and inflated CEO pay, janitors who clean Houston’s office buildings are paid less than $9,000 a year—less than half the poverty level. Last month Houston janitor Adriana Vasquez confronted JP Morgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon on Capitol Hill, asking him why he denied the janitors cleaning his buildings a living wage while investment bankers continue to pick up multimillion dollar bonuses.

And janitors are not alone. About 1 in 5 workers in the Houston area is paid $10 an hour or less, and rates of poverty and food insecurity in the city are steadily climbing. Meanwhile, Houston-based Fortune 500 companies saw their profits increase 30% in the past year.

The Houston commercial real estate market is the best performing market in the US in terms of demand. Average commercial rental rates in Houston are higher than rates in Chicago, for example, where janitors are paid more than 3 times much annually as Houston janitors.

Cleaning contractors have taken steps to threaten the workers’ healthcare by either failing to contribute to the health and welfare fund or failing to deduct employee contributions. They have begun using healthcare coverage as another tactic to intimidate and threaten workers. Three contractors – Pritchard, Aztec and Eurest – have stopped making contributions to the workers’ health and welfare fund. Meanwhile, two others – GCA and ISS – have stopped withholding worker contributions to the fund, a potential indication that they too plan on not contributing to the health and welfare fund. The net result of this activity has been a sense of panic among the workers that their healthcare coverage is in peril.

UNI affiliate SEIU (SEIU Local 1) has filed an unfair labour practice charge with the National Labour Relations Board and requested an injunction.

UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings said, “We are calling on all UNI affiliates to support the Houston janitors. They are fighting for their rights for decent work and a fair wage. Their struggle goes to the heart of the injustice present in the way big business continues to keep rewarding itself gross salaries and bonuses while workers struggle to get by on a pittance. We are supporting SEIU and the janitors in this fight for justice.”

Elsa Caballero, Texas State Director SEIU Local 1 said “At a moment when our country has begun to confront the staggering implications of income inequality, Houston’s janitors are on the frontline, fighting for justice.”

“Let’s be clear, we will not stand by in silence while the hard-working men and women who clean some of Houston’s most exclusive, most profitable real estate continue to make poverty wages,” continued Caballero.

Janitors have called a city-wide strike to protest the employer’s conduct in response to workers’ attempt to improve wages and benefits. Janitors kicked off their strike with picket lines outside key downtown buildings.