(Portland, Or.) Local janitors and their families are celebrating after union members voted overwhelmingly this weekend to approve a new four-year master janitorial contract with nine employers in Oregon and SW Washington that extends health care coverage to their children.
““This contract is a big step forward for hundreds of hard-working janitors in Portland and SW Washington. We have been fighting for health care for chil¬dren for more than seven years, and now for the first time we will be able to insure our children,” said Renato Quintero, who cleans buildings at Intel for SBM. “This contract will have a positive impact on our whole community, because it means children can go to school healthier and parents can go to work with fewer worries.”
The janitors, who clean some of Oregon and SW Washington’s most prominent businesses and landmarks, have been fighting for family health coverage since before they negotiated their first contract in 2003. Some workers cried with joy upon hearing the news of the contract settlement.
“When I called one of my coworkers to let her know that we’d won health care coverage for our families, she actually broke down in tears because she’d finally be able to take her children to the doctor without waiting until it was an emergency or worrying about overwhelming medical bills,” said Angel Case, a janitor with ABM in Vancouver who served on the bargaining team.
The four-year agreement covers 1700 workers and improves upon wages and benefits in the janitors’ previous five-year contract, which expired June 30th. The new contract includes: across-the-board wage increases that will help janitors and their families keep pace with the rising cost of living; first-time vision and dental coverage; an additional personal holiday that can be used in case of illness; and the option to extend health coverage to their children for $40 per month.
“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 owe this victory to janitors who stood firm during negotiations as well as property owners and public employers who’ve committed to using responsible union janitorial contractors.”
The employers covered by the agreement include: ABM Janitorial; Coast Janitorial Services; Everclean Building Maintenance; GCA Service Group; ServiceMaster of Swan Island; Portland Habilitation Center (PHC); Skyline Building Maintenance; Somers Building Maintenance; and State Building Maintenance. The contract was ratified with 98% approval of janitors who voted.