Janitors who clean big box retail stores all across the Twin Cities are fighting for the right to earn holiday pay ahead of their upcoming contract negotiations.
Greg Nammacher is president of SEIU Local 26, which represents 700 retail cleaners.
"Remember, it is these workers, these retail cleaners, who were in the grocery stores during the pandemic when it was at its worst, when we didn't even know what it was," says Nammacher. "Cleaning up the discarded masks and gloves. They were called heroes. It is time now to show it."
Nammacher says these workers typically make less than $15 an hour.
"Most workers can't afford health care through their employers," Nammacher said. "In fact, only five percent right now, are able to afford it and take it."
The janitors are among 8,000 local property service workers whose union contracts are set to expire in the next few months.