SEATTLE – Thousands of Puget Sound-areajanitors could go on strike next month if negotiations on a new labor contract break down, says a spokesperson for the union that represents them.
The janitors, who are represented by Service Employees International Union Local 6, voted Saturday to authorize a strike if janitorial companies fail to reach a contract with the union. Labor negotiations have been under way since May 8.
Union spokesperson Tania María Rosario said the contract with Seattle-area janitorial companies expires June 30. Under terms of the strike authorization vote, janitors could strike 10 days after that if a new contract is not reached.
About 3,000 janitors are covered by the labor contract. A strike would affect offices, restaurants and retail outlets all over downtown Seattle and beyond. The Puget Sound-area contract negotiations also affect Spokane and Tacoma janitors, whose contracts expire at the same time.
Rosario said the janitors perform backbreaking labor often until the early morning hours, earning an average of about $12 an hour.
“We clean buildings owned by the wealthiest companies in the world,” said Jocelyn Eleccion, a janitor and member of the bargaining team. “People who work hard should make a decent living instead of treading water or falling behind. We need to ensure that all workers benefit from the economic progress they helped create.”
She said janitors fear cuts to their wages and medical benefits.
My name is not Jane. I need to keep my real name secret because the man who abused me can’t know where I am — I fear for my safety. But when I was leaving him and needed to get him off the cell phone contract we shared, Sprint put my safety at risk.
The man who abused me is the father of my son. When our baby was just four months old, he watched as his father strangled me and threatened to stomp on my head with steel-toed boots. I left and got a restraining order the next day.
But at a time when I had no job, no steady place to live, and feared for my life and the life of my little one, Sprint refused to let me get my abuser off my cell phone contract unless I paid them $200 — even though the contract was in my name. I had no money, and the man who threatened to kill me could track exactly who I was calling and when.
When I signed the petition asking Verizon to drop cancellation fees for victims of domestic violence, I was shocked how many other people who signed shared awful stories about Sprint. One woman wrote about how Sprint made her meet her abusive ex-boyfriend in person at the Sprint store before they’d let her cancel her contract.
As for me, I’m still so afraid of my abuser that I can’t even use my real name. But this issue is so important for women like me fighting for their lives, I knew I had to do something.
Cindy’s petition to Verizon made me realize that I am not alone. If she can get Verizon to change its policies to prioritize the safety of victims of domestic violence, there’s no reason Sprint can’t do the same. I know that if enough people sign my petition, Sprint will do the right thing, too.
Be a Seed for Change 
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