October 15th, 2019 by WCBC Radio
32BJ SEIU, which represents 10,500 commercial office cleaners in the D.C. area and Baltimore have reached a tentative agreement for a new four-year contract with the Washington Service Contractors Association, which represents the area's major commercial cleaning companies. Just hours before the October 15th expiration, 32BJ reached a deal that is pending approval by union members. Associated Building Maintenance Co., Inc. remains the only employer, out of 58 companies that has not signed the agreement.
A strike, which could have impacted over 1,200 office buildings throughout the region, was averted following an intensive campaign by janitors who held 16 separate strike vote rallies over a two-week period throughout D.C., Montgomery County, Northern Virginia and Baltimore. As part of a large push, D.C. Mayor, Muriel Bowser rallied with janitors, who marched through downtown D.C. during rush hour two weeks in a row.
In addition to support from numerous community groups, janitors rallied with D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, D.C. Council members Elissa Silverman, Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau, Baltimore City Council members Shannon Sneed and Ryan Dorsey, Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Reimer, Virginia State Senator Barbara Favola, Arlington County Attorney nominee, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors candidate, Dalia Palchik.
Details will be released on Monday, October 20th, pending a ratification vote by union members for the contract covering over 4,000 in D.C., over 4,000 in Northern Virginia, 1,500 in Montgomery County, MD, 600 in Baltimore and first-ever coverage for 400 cleaners in Prince George’s County, MD and Loudoun County, VA.
With more than 173,000 members in 11 states, including 20,000 in the D.C. Metropolitan Area, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.
