May 17, 2008 3:10 pm US/Pacific
Bay Area Janitors Union Authorizes Strike
SAN JOSE (BCN) ―
Bay Area janitors voted during Saturday's membership meeting in San Jose to allow their bargaining committee to call for a strike at any time, according to a union spokeswoman.
Around 1,000 people, including janitors, their families, union workers and government officials attended the meeting and a rally Saturday, Service Employees International Union Local 1877 spokeswoman Gina Bowers said. The union represents around 6,000 janitors in the Bay Area, excluding San Francisco, and if the committee decides to strike it will be the biggest janitors strike in a decade.
California State Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, said, "Folks were exuberant when the strike vote was announced, there was a real show of excitement and determination."
The janitors are trying to change practices by high-tech companies, such as Google and Yahoo, which allegedly hire janitors from irresponsible companies who do not treat or compensate their workers appropriately, Bowers said.
Salvador, a janitor who works at Google and declined to give his last name, said the strike will hurt everyone but that the janitors feel they have "exhausted all other options."
Janitors are asking for better wages and improved health care benefits, said Mike Garcia, president of California SEIU janitors union branches.
Statistics show that an average janitor's wage in the Silicon Valley is $11.04, almost half of what janitors in New York make.
"Wages are a huge issue," Garcia said. "The cost of living is racing out of sight with gas, food, rent and other needs increasing, janitors need to be able to meet basic expenses."
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