32BJ of the SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Saturday, January 28, 2012

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Eugenio H. Villasante 646-286-1087

Maia Davis 201-396-4444

http://www.standwithbuildingworkers.org

NEW HAVEN AREA OFFICE CLEANERS RATIFY NEW CONTRACT THAT AVERTED STRIKE

- Union Members Approve Four-Year Contract That Protects Health Care and Gives Yearly Raises to Building Cleaners –

New Haven, CT – New Haven area office cleaners have ratified a new contract that averted a strike which potentially could have affected about two dozen corporateand government in the city in addition to 125 buildings in the Hartford area. Members voted unanimously over the weekend to approve an agreement that preserves healthcare coverage and raises wages over the four years by 13 percent. A separate contract for Hartford members that raised their wages 10 percent over four years was ratified on January 7.

“This is a fair agreement with modest wage increases that will help the cleaners in the New Haven. Our members are working two and three jobs to try and keep their headsabove water in one of the most expensive regions in the country,” said Kurt Westby, Connecticut State Director for 32BJ SEIU and chief negotiator for the union on this contract. “These hard-working men and women have stood up for the wages they need to support their families and our economy.”

32BJ represents a total of 2,000 building cleaners in the New Haven and Hartford areas. They clean nearly 150 buildings including some of Connecticut’s most important corporate centers and landmark buildings such as City Hall, Long Wharf Maritime Center, and One Century Tower and the State Capitol, Travelers’ Tower and Wesleyan University in Hartford.

Talks between the union and the Hartford Area Cleaning Contractors Association, which represents cleaning companies in both New Haven and Hartford, had begun in mid-November and concluded on the night of December 28th, barely three days before expiration. A breakthrough came after several leading elected officials, including New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, who urged both sides to find common ground and reach an agreement that was fair to workers.

“I was proud to stand with our hardworking building cleaners in their struggle for decent wages and benefits,” New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said. “I added my voice because as elected officials, we must show both labor and management that we expect a fair, mutual settlement that works for both sides. This contract does that.”

Other elected officials who had taken a public stand in support of the workers during the course of negotiations included Governor Dannel Malloy, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro and John Larson, State Senator John Fonfara of Hartford, New Britain Mayor Tim O’Brien, and Hartford City Council Members Larry Deutsch, Luis Cotto and Cynthia Jennings.

With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, D.C., including 4,500 in Connecticut, 32BJ SEIU is the largest union of property service workers in the country.

32BJ of the Service Employees International Union

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Maia Davis:  212-388-3696; 201-396-4444

Eugenio Villasante: 212-539-2940

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, January 9, 2012

HARTFORD AREA OFFICE CLEANERS RATIFY NEW CONTRACT THAT AVERTED STRIKE

 - Union Members Approve Four-Year Contract That Protects Health Care and Gives Yearly Raises to Building Cleaners  -

Hartford CT– Hartford area office cleaners have ratified a new contract that averted a strike which potentially could have affected 125 corporate, government and university buildings in the city and its suburbs. Members voted unanimously over the weekend to approve an agreement that preserves healthcare coverage and raises wages over the four years by 10 percent. A separate contract for New Haven members that would raise their wages 13 percent over four years is scheduled for a ratification vote on January 21.

“This is a fair agreement with modest wage increases that will help the 1,600 building cleaners in the Hartford area continue to move out of poverty and have a chance at the American Dream,” said Kurt Westby, Connecticut State Director for 32BJ SEIU and chief negotiator for the union on this contract. “Our members are struggling to meet essential expenses for housing, heating bills, food and transportation. This contract will help them to meet those expenses, support their families, and contribute to the growth of Connecticut’s economy.”

32BJ represents a total of 2,000 building cleaners in the Hartford and New Haven areas. They clean nearly 150 buildings including some of Connecticut’s most important corporate centers and landmark buildings such as the State Capitol, Travelers’ Tower and Wesleyan University. In New Haven, the list includes City Hall, Long Wharf Maritime Center, and One Century Tower.

Talks between the union and the Hartford Area Cleaning Contractors Association, which represents cleaning companies in both Hartford and New Haven, had begun in mid-November and concluded on the night of December 28th, barely three days before expiration. A breakthrough came after several leading elected officials urged both sides to find common ground and reach an agreement that was fair to workers. They were: Governor Dannel Malloy, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro and John Larson. Other elected officials who had taken a public stand in support of the workers during the course of negotiations included: State Senator John Fonfara of Hartford, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, New Britain Mayor Tim O’Brien, and Hartford City Council Members Larry Deutsch, Luis Cotto and Cynthia Jennings.

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With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, D.C., including 4,500 in Connecticut, 32BJ SEIU is the largest union of property service workers in the country.

Service Employees International Union

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Maia Davis: 201-396-4444

Michael O. Allen: 212-388-3805

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

GOV. MALLOY AND OTHER TOP ELECTED OFFICIALS CALL FOR BOTH SIDES TO COME TOGETHER ON BUILDING CLEANERS’ CONTRACT

‪– Call for Fair Contract As Contract Expiration Date and Possibility of Strike Looms –

Gov. Dannel Malloy, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra called on Tuesday for a fair agreement for the 2,000 building cleaners represented by local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union in the Hartford and New Haven area.

‪“The thousands of commercial building cleaners, whose labor provides a critically important service for many of our residents, face tremendous uncertainty,” Malloy said. “A strike like this has the potential to disrupt both the lives of the workers on the picket lines and the countless others who work in buildings that rely on the services they provide.  At a time when we are trying to reinvent our state’s economy, the possibility of a strike will only cause an unnecessary disruption.”

Sen. Blumenthal also urged both sides to reach common ground.

“The nearly 2,000 commercial building cleaners represented by SEIU 32BJ are simply seeking fair wages and healthcare coverage,” Blumenthal said. “A strike would deal damage to Connecticut’s economy, not only in its impact on workers, but the many people who use the buildings that rely on their services.”

A strike would affect the safety and cleanliness of several Hartford structures and “devastate these men and women who are already struggling in tough economic times,” Segarra added.

“These proud men and women are not seeking anything beyond what we all deserve: a fair wage, just treatment and the ability to provide for their families,” he said. “These fundamental rights provide the backbone of our country, and they are tied to the hopes of people who are pursuing the American dream.”

‪The officials weighed in one day before the last scheduled date of contract talks on December 28th between 32BJ and the Hartford Area Cleaning Contractors Association. With the contract set to expire at midnight on December 31, and the two sides still far apart, the union has begun preparing for a strike in case an agreement is not reached. ‪

‪“We agree with Governor Malloy, Senator Blumenthal and Mayor Segarra,” said Kurt Westby, Connecticut State Director for 32BJ. “A fair agreement is in everyone’s best interest. Our members are hardworking men and women struggling to support their families on wages below or barely above the poverty line. When they get paid decent wages, it is a win for our state’s working families, for taxpayers and for the economy.” ‪

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32BJ members clean some of Connecticut’s most important corporate centers and landmark buildings including the State Capitol, Travelers’ Tower and Wesleyan University.

In New Haven the list includes: City Hall, Long Wharf Maritime Center, One Century Tower, and the Connecticut Financial Center. In New Britain, the buildings cleaned by 32BJ members include: Central Connecticut State University, the New Britain Courthouse, and the Department of Public Utility Control.

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‪The commercial real estate industry in Hartford and New Haven is a $700 million industry, and the contract talks come at a time when the Hartford commercial property owners are set to reap substantial tax-break windfalls. Commercial buildings owners in downtown Hartford will likely see their taxes reduced by more than 20 percent and owners elsewhere in the city by 5 to 15 percent in 2012 because of commercial property revaluation combined with the elimination of a decades-old surcharge, according to reports. ‪

Building cleaners represented by 32BJ earn wages ranging from $11.00 an hour in New Haven to $12.25 in Suburban Hartford and $13.50 in downtown Hartford. In New Haven, most are given only part-time jobs. At 25 hours per week, their annual pay is $14,300, which is 38 percent below the federal poverty line for a family of four.

Last week, the 32BJ SEIU Bargaining Committee reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract covering more than 3,300 commercial office cleaners in Hudson Valley, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut that provides cleaners with an average yearly wage increase of 3% or a nearly 13% increase in wages over the life of the contract. The new contract covers 1,500 commercial cleaners who work in Fairfield County, including the University of Connecticut, the UBS Building, the RBS Building, Norwalk Community College, and Fairfield University. ‪

With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, D.C., including 4,500 in Connecticut, 32BJ SEIU is the largest union of property service workers in the country.

‪For more information, visit www.standwithbuildingworkers.org.

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32BJ of the SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Maia Davis:           201-396-4444

Eugenio Villasante:    212-539-2940; 646-285-1087

‪FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

NEW HAVEN MAYOR TAKES A STAND WITH BUILDING CLEANERS FIGHTING FOR A FAIR CONTRACT

‪–State Senator Also Attends Rally that Comes Days After Building Cleaners Authorized Their Bargaining Committee to Call a Possible Strike -

New Haven, CT – Mayor John DeStefano and State Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford) joined building cleaners fighting for fair wages at a rally in downtown New Haven today. The rally came six days after cleaners in the New Haven and Hartford areas voted to authorize a possible strike if a fair contract is not reached by their contract expiration date at the end of this month.

“New Haven residents, businesses and visitors depend on our hardworking building cleaners to keep the places where we work and conduct business clean, safe and sanitary,” DeStefano said. “Now they are depending on us to stand with them in their fight for fair wages.”

32BJ members clean some of Connecticut’s most important corporate centers and landmark buildings including, in New Haven: City Hall, Long Wharf Maritime Center, One Century Tower, and the Connecticut Financial Center. Elsewhere in the state, the list includes the State Capitol, Travelers’ Tower and Wesleyan University. Commercial real estate in the New Haven-Hartford area alone is a more than $700 million industry.

“We are not asking for anything extraordinary,” said Kurt Westby, Connecticut State Director for 32BJ. “Our members are just barely above the poverty line, and are striving to support their families without having to depend on government assistance. When they are paid decent wages, it is a win for our state’s working families, for taxpayers and for the economy.”

New Haven building cleaners represented by 32BJ are paid $11.00 an hour. Most are given only part-time jobs; but even at full-time hours they would earn $22,880, which is barely above the 2011 poverty line of $22,550 for a family of four. In contrast, the median income in New Haven in 2010 was $57,056, Census data shows. Hartford area cleaners represented by 32BJ are paid $13.50 an hour.

Contract talks began in mid-November between the building cleaners and the Hartford Area Cleaning Contractors’ Association. But the two sides are still far apart, and talks are not scheduled to resume until December 28th, three days before expiration. If a strike is called, nearly 150 buildings in the New Haven and Hartford areas could be affected, 22 of them in New Haven.Top cleaning contractors represented by the association include UGL Unicco Services Company, American Building Maintenance (ABM), and Capitol Carpet Upholstery.  ABM alone reported profits of $164 million for the 3 fiscal years 2008-2010, and is on pace to have a more profitable year in 2011 than in 2010.

With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, D.C., including 4,500 in Connecticut, 32BJ SEIU is the largest union of property service workers in the country.

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For more information, visit http://www.standwithbuildingworkers.org

32BJ of the Service Employees International Union

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Julie Karant: 646-584-9001

Maia Davis:  201-396-4444

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday, December 15, 2011

HARTFORD AND NEW HAVEN BUILDING CLEANERS AUTHORIZE A STRIKE;
STATE ASSEMBLY SPEAKER DONOVAN SHOWS HIS SUPPORT 

 - Hundreds of Building Cleaners March through Downtown Hartford Following Strike Vote -

Hartford, CT– Hartford and New Haven area office cleaners voted today to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary by the nearly 2,000 cleaners represented by 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union. The vote, which was followed by a march of several hundred cleaners through downtown Hartford, comes two weeks before contract expiration for the workers who clean some of the state’s most prominent and historic buildings. Connecticut State Assembly Speaker Christopher Donovan was among the speakers at a meeting preceding the strike vote. Similar rallies and marches of thousands of 32BJ office cleaners fighting for fair contracts were going on simultaneously Thursday in Stamford; White Plains, N.Y., and Newark, N.J.

“I’m here to tell you that I stand with you for a fair contract,” Donovan told the crowd packed into Central Baptist Church on Main Street in Hartford. “Connecticut needs hardworking men and women like you to get a fair raise and to keep your health benefits so that you can support your families, contribute to our economy and help to ensure a prosperous future for our state.”

Contract talks began on November 17th between cleaners represented by 32BJ and the Hartford Area Cleaning Contractors Association. But progress has stalled. With the current contract set to expire at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st, cleaners have authorized the bargaining committee to call a strike if a fair agreement is not reached. The 32BJ members, who are seeking a fair wage increase and to protect their benefits, clean 147 buildings in Hartford and New Haven including the State Capitol, the Old State House, New Haven City Hall, Travelers’ Tower, and Wesleyan University.

“Building cleaners in Hartford and New Haven are the ‘near poor,’ ” said Kurt Westby, Connecticut State Director of 32BJ. “They work hard to support their families and to serve as productive, taxpaying members of their communities, and many work two or three jobs. But without a fair raise and protection of their health benefits, they are at risk of having to depend on government assistance to survive. That would hurt our economy, and put taxpayers on the hook for expenses that should be covered by employers.”

Commercial ‪ real estate in Hartford and New Haven is a more than $700 million industry, and there are strong signs the area’s economy is on the upswing. The total value of goods and services produced in the Hartford metropolitan area grew 3.8 percent from 2009 to 2010,  significantly more than the average growth of 2.5 percent for metropolitan areas throughout the U.S., according to a U.S. Department of Commerce report in September. In addition, Connecticut remains among the nation’s wealthiest. The state’s median household is $64,032, according to the 2010 Census.

‪But office building cleaners represented by 32BJ in Hartford are paid $13.50 an hour under the current contract.Those in New Haven earn $11 an hour. Most in New Haven and a significant number in Hartford are also given only part-time cleaning jobs, forcing many to work two or three jobs. Even with two jobs, many of the cleaners are barely staying out of poverty.

The workers’ health benefits are also crucial,  said Felipe Trevitazo, a cleaner at Bradley International Airport. Trevitazo was diagnosed with cancer last year and credits his recovery to the good treatment he received through his health plan. If he had to pay out of pocket for his treatment, he said his family would have faced financial ruin. “We pay taxes,” Trevitazo said of the building cleaners. “We work hard. We should be able to have a decent life.”

With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, D.C., including 4,500 in Connecticut, 32BJ SEIU is the largest union of property service workers in the country. For more info: www.standwithbuildingworkers.org

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32BJ of the SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Maia Davis:      201-396-4444

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, November 19, 2011

CONGRESSMAN, STATE SENATOR TAKE STAND IN SUPPORT OF GOOD JOBS FOR 2,000 OFFICE BUILDING CLEANERS

-  Office Building Cleaners March Through Downtown Hartford Following Meeting With Elected Officials -

Hartford, CT – Congressman Chris Murphy, State Senator John Fonfara and other elected officials told a packed meeting of a few hundred office building cleaners Saturday that they support their campaign for a new contract that provides good jobs. The midday meeting at Central Baptist Church was followed by a march of more than a hundred workers through downtown Hartford.

“Our city and state need more middle-class jobs that allow hardworking men and women to support their families, pay taxes and buy products and services that stimulate the local economy,” said Congressman Chris Murphy (D-5th District). “A fair contract for Connecticut’s office building cleaners will be a win for all working families and an important step toward ensuring our state’s future prosperity.”

Negotiations for a new contract began this week between 32BJ, the largest union of property service workers in the country, and a group of cleaning companies that includes some of the largest in the state and region. 32BJ members in the Hartford and New Haven areas clean some of Connecticut’s most important landmark buildings and corporate centers including the State Capitol, the Old State House, New Haven City Hall, Travelers’ Tower, and Wesleyan University. Corporate owners of buildings cleaned by the union’s members include some of the nation’s most profitable companies such as Aetna and Traveler’s Insurance.

In addition to Murphy, other elected officials who spoke at the meeting included State Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford); New Britain Mayor Tim O’Brien; Hartford City Council Members Luis Cotto and Larry Deutsch; and Council Member-elect Cynthia Jennings

The contract talks come at a time when growth in insurance and financial services has given the Hartford metropolitan area the fastest-growing economy in the state. The total value of goods and services in the region was 50 percent higher than the average for metro areas in the country in 2009 to 2010. Commercial real estate in Hartford and New Haven is a more than $700 million industry.

‪But office building cleaners represented by 32BJ in the city of Hartford are paid $13.50 an hour under the current contract which expires at midnight on December 31. Those in New Haven earn $11 an hour. Most in New Haven and a significant number in Hartford are given only part-time cleaning jobs, seriously undermining their ability to earn enough to cover their family’s essential needs.
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“We are fighting for better wages and benefits,” said Felipe Trevitazo, a cleaner at Bradley International Airport. “We pay taxes. We work hard. We should be able to have a decent life.”

With more than 120,000 members, including more than 4,000 in Connecticut, 32BJ is the largest union of property service workers in the nation.  
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32BJ of the SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

‪FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Maia Davis: 212-388-3696
201-396-4444
Eugenio Villasante: 212-539-2940

‪
‪FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
‪
‪Thursday, November 17, 2011

Contract Talks Open for Two Thousand Connecticut Office Cleaners

- Union Proposals Focus on Fair Wages and Benefits to Keep Families Out of Poverty -

Hartford, CT –Negotiations began today for a new contract covering 2,000 office building cleaners in the Hartford and New Haven areas as 32BJ SEIU, the largest property services union in the country, presented its proposals to the major cleaning companies in the state. The union is seeking to protect benefits and win a fair wage increase that will allow cleaning workers to make ends meet.

“These men and women work hard every day to keep office buildings in our state well-maintained, sanitary and safe, but they earn barely enough to stay out of poverty,” said Kurt Westby, Connecticut State Director for 32BJ SEIU. “Ensuring that they get the wages and benefits they need to support their families will be a win for Connecticut’s communities, taxpayers and the economy.”

32BJ members clean some of Connecticut’s most important landmark buildings and corporate centers including the State Capitol, the Old State House, New Haven City Hall, Travelers’ Tower, and Wesleyan University. Corporate owners of buildings cleaned by the union’s members include some of the nation’s most profitable companies such as Aetna and Traveler’s Insurance.

The contract talks come at a time when growth in insurance and financial services has given the Hartford metropolitan area the fastest-growing economy in the state. The total value of goods and services in the region was 50 percent higher than the average for metro areas in the country in 2009 to 2010. Commercial real estate in Hartford and New Haven is a more than $700 million industry.

‪But office building cleaners represented by 32BJ in the city of Hartford are paid $13.50 an hour under the current contract which expires at midnight on December 31. Those in New Haven earn $11 an hour. Most in New Haven and a significant number in Hartford are given only part-time cleaning jobs, seriously undermining their ability to earn enough to cover their family’s essential needs.
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“We are fighting for better wages and benefits,” said Felipe Trevitazo, a cleaner at Bradley International Airport. “We pay taxes. We work hard. We should be able to have a decent life.”

With more than 120,000 members, including more than 4,000 in Connecticut, 32BJ is the largest union of property service workers in the nation.

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