Janitors march over wages, benefits
Around 250 people rallied and marched Saturday in downtown Houston as janitors called for increased pay and hours to result in full-time benefits for the workers.
The event, which started on the lawn outside the George R. Brown Convention Center, marked the start of union contract negotiations for janitors who are part of the Service Employees International Union with Houston building contractors, organizers said.
Janitors are requesting an increase in hours from five to six per night. Working at least six hours would increase their weekly output to a minimum of 30 hours, elevating them to fulltime employee status. They also called for a pay increase to $15 an hour from $11.75.
Houston’s negotiation comes as janitors in other major cities have been bargaining on their own deals.
“Workers have been able to get really good contracts in all of the other cities. We’re hopeful that it’s not going to stop in Houston,” SEIU Texas President Elsa Flores said.
SEIU called the march the start of contract negotiations as the janitors’ contract runs out May 31. The first bargaining session is scheduled for this week.
There are currently around 3,000 janitors in the Houston chapter of the Service Employees International Union.
The last time janitors and building contractors negotiated a contract was 2022. During those contract negotiations in 2022, janitors called for an increase in pay to $15 an hour but weren’t able to secure the full amount. Flores said the pay increase was the major discussion point of that cycle.
According to the SEIU, Houston’s city-contracted security officers and janitors all earn a min
imum of $15 an hour.
The full-time status is also a major priority for the janitors as they hope to access the benefits that come from full-time status. Downtown janitor Maria Zemudio said through a translator that on most nights, janitors work five hours.
Having health insurance covered by work and other benefits, which would come with sixhour workdays, is what Zemudio said is the most important thing for her in this negotiation.
“It doesn’t become a stable work until you actually can secure at least a certain amount of hours,” Flores said. “Hopefully, eventually, we can get to a fulltime, completely 40 hours a week. But we get that, we have a little bit of a hill to climb. Workers are ready for that. But we need to start taking steps towards that direction.”
Janitors have gone on strike twice before, in 2006 and 2012. The two sides narrowly averted a strike in 2022, coming together on an agreement shortly after the previous contract expired.
The strike in 2006 came around a year after the janitors first organized and lasted around a month. While the strike was ongoing, SEIU distributed leaflets around the world in places such as London and Moscow.
Zemudio said a strike would not be off the table if there’s not an agreement by May 31.
“Ganar,” she said of her expectation for the negotiation, which translates in English as “to win.”
“Workers have been able to get really good contracts in all of the other cities. We’re hopeful that it’s not going to stop in Houston.”
SEIU Texas President Elsa Flores