Janitors

On Saturday November the 17th, a new campaign in the cleaning sector of the Netherlands has started. It’s an initiative from the trade union, but unlike in other union campaigns, this time the cleaners themselves will take action. It is David against Goliath , only 7% of the cleaners are organised, fighting against some of the biggest cleaning companies in Europe. The cleaners need all the help they can get. We, social organisations involved with the campaign, call out to all people concerned with social justice, to help us make this campaign a success. Join us, participate, come to the campaign launch on Saturday November 17th or subscribe to the newsletter below.

HOUSTON--On the heels of a string of victories in Miami, Los Angeles and Boston that have resulted in dramatic gains for workers and their families, more than 5,300 janitors in Houston won higher wages, more hours, and health insurance in their first city-wide union contract. The contract will lift hundreds of janitors out of poverty, more than doubling their income within 24 months and guaranteeing secure affordable health care. Houston is the second major victory for janitors in less than a year, and is being seen as a major breakthrough in the South and for low-wage workers around the country.

Berlin Update: On Wednesday November 8th almost 50 of us participated in a strong action against 3 Hines related properties. We made an action tour and picketed a bank, a hotel and the Hines headquarters. We were activists from different collectives, unionists from Verdi (German Trade Union) and also representatives from the London and Australian justice for janitors campaigns. The Berlin police was a pain in the ass but we were able to make ourselves heard.

Justice for Janitors in Houston www.houstonjanitors.org

Thousands of migrant cleaners are on strike in Houston, the 4th most important city in the US - and Bush territory. The cleaners, many of whom are migrants from Mexico, clean the majority of Houston's office buildings. They receive the lowest wages and benefits of any major city in the U.S -- only 4,16€ per hour and no health insurance coverage while cleaning the most important oil companies' headquarters in the world and the most important global real-estate corporations.

Cleaning companies recently threatened to deport undocumented cleaners who support the strike to break union efforts (Texas has one of the harshest political climates, i.e. anti-labour and anti-migrant).

Take Action to Support Striking South African Cleaners!

Hold Multinational Corporations Accountable for Cleaners’ Poverty Wages!

On September 13th, cleaners and supporters in New York, London, Hamburg, Sao Paolo, the Hague, Sydney, Chicago, Boston and other cities will take action to support South African office cleaners who have been on strike for more than one month.

Cleaners will conduct a “Day of Global Action” aimed at convincing wealthy multinational corporations like Bayer, J.P. Morgan and KPMG to take immediate steps to improve the wages of South African janitors who clean their facilities.

We expect our support actions to continue and to grow in more cities until South African cleaners win their struggle. So please pass on the word and help us organize more global support.

As a part of the Justice for Janitors Campaign going global, thousands of cleaners in Australia and New Zealand are in the midst of a historical organizing drive to raise standards in 5 cities.

Germany to Extend Minimum Pay to Cleaners

By Brian Parkin

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet today agreed to extend minimum-wage rules to industrial cleaners in a step aimed at rooting out unfair competition caused by companies that undercut pay levels agreed with unions.

The BIV cleaning industry group that lobbied for the change said companies caught paying less than the minimum will risk prosecution when the rule becomes law next year. The legislation sets minimum hourly pay rates for cleaners in western Germany at 7.87 euros ($10.09) and 6.36 euros in the eastern states.

The new law ``will help root out the black sheep as tariff busters will face fines,'' said Bonn-based BIV spokeswoman Christine Sudhop in an interview. BIV represents 850,000 cleaners in 2,600 companies.

A major contract on the London Underground has been terminated today by Metronet Rail after the discovery by the Transport and General Workers' Union of the systematic withholding of tube cleaners' pay by cleaning company Blue Diamond, employed by Metronet.

Low-wage workers in the garment industry, janitors without legal papers, temporary labor in the high-tech industry: the protagonists of a new wave of labor movement in California were long time considered as unorganizable. Now they lead a new generation of workers struggles which takes precariousness rather as a starting point than an obstacle for multiple ways of organizing -- no matter inside or outside of the unions.

Justice for Janitors