Janitors Reach Tentative Agreement on Wages, Benefits, Four-Year Pact for L.A. County

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080512006551&newsLang=en

May 12, 2008 05:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Permalink

To save a permanent link to this news, right-click the dateline (Ctl-click on a Mac) to copy the link.
Janitors Reach Tentative Agreement on Wages, Benefits, Four-Year Pact for L.A. County

Orange County Elected Leaders to Meet with Janitors Tues., May 13

Negotiations for OC Scheduled to Resume Wed., May 14

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Janitors announced a major breakthrough in contract negotiations at a press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa and Robert F. Maguire III, CEO of Maguire Properties, Inc. at City Hall today. For the first time ever, 6,700 janitors in Los Angeles and Orange counties will have one master contract. Previously, there were two separate contracts for each county that both expired April 30. Janitors reached tentative agreement for Los Angeles County this afternoon.

“This will help us to provide for our families in the way we want to, just to have a safe, decent place to live and make it possible for our children to have a better future,” said Grey Pichinte, a janitor and member of the contract bargaining committee, comprised of Los Angeles and Orange County janitors. “Today we won justice for all janitors in Los Angeles and we will keep fighting until we win for Orange County and statewide.” The janitors’ union SEIU Local 1877 represents 20,000 janitors from San Diego to the Silicon Valley and all the way up to Sacramento; all are currently in contract negotiations.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Janitors announced they won a tentative agreement that would boost total compensation nearly 25 percent over the life of the contract. Janitors won wage increases of more than $1,000 a year every year over the life of the four-year pact for a compounded total of $10,000 per janitor.

“As a result of this deal, thousands of hardworking janitors and their families will enjoy improved wages and maintain quality healthcare, while building owners and contractors will enjoy lower turnover and higher quality services,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.

Janitors will continue to receive full employer-paid family healthcare, a pension, and now, for the first time, they will receive vision coverage. Janitors that work on the outskirts of the county will now be able to move into higher-paying buildings and earn better benefits based on seniority, once the contract is ratified.

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE FOR ORANGE COUNTY

FULL story at link.