Janitors union rallies in Loop for better pay as contract deadline looms

Things could soon get messy in Chicago’s offices.

Hundreds of janitors who keep the city’s office buildings clean rallied in the Loop on Wednesday ahead of a possible strike vote.

The unionized workers, represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 1, will decide Saturday whether to ratify an agreement or vote to strike before their three-year contract expires on Sunday.

The negotiations affect 8,000 janitors in the Chicago area who clean buildings including Willis Tower, Hancock Tower, Merchandise Mart and other iconic sites.

In spite of the cold rain on Wednesday afternoon, workers carrying signs and umbrellas marched from the Daley Center to the Building Owners and Management Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) headquarters at 190 S. LaSalle St. alongside local elected officials and labor and community leaders.

“I have been a janitor in downtown Chicago for over 29 years and these past three years have been the most difficult of my career,” said Krystyna Galik, SEIU Local 1 executive board member and janitor. “We had to overcome a global pandemic; we had to navigate the rising cost of bills, food and rent; we feared the changes of our jobs.”

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

SEIU Local 1 began talks last month with the BOMA/Chicago for pay raises. The trade association’s members include about 240 buildings and 170 companies that provide commercial building services.

Janitors’ current contract wages have fallen behind inflation by $1.91 an hour, the union said in a statement. “Yet BOMA is failing to propose a reasonable wage increase that reflects the essential services of janitorial work.”

In addition to higher pay, workers want Juneteenth to be a paid holiday, as well as secure retirement and health care.

The union’s janitors service 85% of Cook County’s commercial office buildings with 3,000 of them working in downtown Chicago.

Their contract also has an indirect impact on 5,000 workers in suburban commercial office buildings employed primarily by Allied Universal, ABM Industries and Harvard Maintenance. Those 5,000 are under a suburban contract negotiated with contractors and many overlap with the BOMA/Chicago agreement, said an SEIU Local 1 spokesperson.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Other rallies took place Wednesday in cities such as St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, New York and Miami, among others.

Ald. Bill Conway (34th) said he supports Local 1’s fight for a fair contract.

“While many of us had the privilege of staying home during the pandemic, janitors went to work and maintained these buildings,” Conway said in a statement. “Their work prevented disrepair, avoided costly renovation, and allowed a return to normalcy downtown.”

Janitors will do what it takes to win better wages “including a strike if it comes to that,” SEIU Local 1 President Genie Kastrup said.

SEIU represents 50,000 workers throughout the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, airport workers, higher education faculty, food service workers and others.

Farzin Parang, executive director of BOMA/Chicago, said in a statement: “We appreciate and respect the work our represented janitorial staff contributes to keeping our buildings healthy and creating welcoming spaces. We look forward to productive negotiations that reflect their importance as we strive to keep the commercial office industry economically sustainable during a historic downturn in the market.”